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Barcelona have a chance to move to third on the table when they take on Valencia tomorrow night. Things are starting to look slightly better for the Catalans following their 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 18 December 2020.
Ousmane Dembele inching closer to return
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele had been ruled out of action with a hamstring injury. Now he has returned to training and is regaining fitness ahead of getting back on the field.
Dembele has been out of action since Barcelona's shock 2-1 defeat to Cadiz. According to AS, Ousmane Dembele won't feature for the Catalans in the game tomorrow night against Valencia. But he could make a return midweek against Real Valladolid or SD Eibar next week.
The 23-year-old's return will be a major boost to Barcelona ahead of a packed holiday schedule.
Barcelona dressing room has issues with Riqui Puig
Riqui Puig is one of the most talented youngsters in the La Liga but he has struggled to find his feet so far under Ronald Koeman. Riqui Puig has always been known as a modest and reserved kid and there haven't been many question marks about his personality.
But now, according to Què T’hi Jugues, one part of the Barcelona dressing room has issues with Puig as he is not committed or training well. The report adds that after the Barcelona game, Puig trained as though he had played for the entirety of the 90 and was too relaxed.
He did not put in the amount of effort in training that is expected of a player who is still rising through the ranks and on the fringes. As such, despite his performances, there are other issues that's keeping him from getting regular minutes.
Philippe Coutinho could be sold due to high wages
According to Sport, Philippe Coutinho's future at Barcelona is not resolved yet. The report claims that the Barcelona man could be sold as early as January mainly owing to Barcelona's financial issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ronald Koeman had asked for Coutinho to stay at the club on his return from Bayern Munich as he needed the Brazilian to finish the 4-2-3-1 system. But Coutinho's form has suffered recently and he has been switched out to the left flank where he keeps getting marked out of the game.
Barcelona's interim president Carlos Tusquets has reportedly advised the Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes to negotiate the sale of the Brazilian. The reason behind this is that given their current financial condition, they cannot afford to keep paying his wages.
