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Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-1 on Saturday to make it back-to-back wins in La Liga for the first time in the 2021-22 season. There is a sense of optimism at the club following the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as manager. The club are also preparing ahead of the January transfer window.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 1 December 2021.
Barcelona join Liverpool in pursuit of Denis Zakaria
Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria has garnered interest from plenty of top clubs in Europe. According to El Nacional, Barcelona and Liverpool are among the most prominent clubs that are set to battle it out for the 25-year-old.
The report adds that Zakaria prefers a move to Liverpool over Barcelona. Other potential suitors include AS Roma, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. The Swiss international is currently in the final year of his contract with the Bundesliga outfit.
He has reportedly decided not to sign an extension with the club. Zakaria wants to sign for a side where he can regularly play in the UEFA Champions League. He has scored two goals and provided an assist in 12 appearances across all competitions this term for Borussia Monchengladbach.
Barcelona prefers Ferran Torres to Dani Olmo
Despite being extensively linked with RB Leipzig attacker Dani Olmo, Barcelona might not end up signing him. According to Sport, the Catalans are now inclined towards signing Manchester City forward Ferran Torres.
It is not clear whether the change in plans has been forced by new manager Xavi. But Torres seems the likelier of the two players to end up at the Camp Nou as things stand. This is because despite impressing at City, Torres finds game time coming at a premium due to the club's incredible squad depth.
As such, he is open to a move to Barcelona. Meanwhile, it is claimed in the same report that Manchester City have now turned their attentions towards Dani Olmo.
Cesar Azpilicueta set to leave Chelsea as a free agent
Chelsea veteran Cesar Azpilicueta is currently in the final year of his contract with Chelsea. Marca (via Daily Express) claims the Spaniard has deemed the terms offered by the club to be unsatisfactory. He is reportedly keeping an open mind with respect to his future amid interest from Barcelona.
Azpilicueta has been on the Catalans' radar for a while now. The 32-year-old has made 443 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and registering 56 assists.
He was an important member of the squad that won the UEFA Champions League last season and is a revered figure among the Stamford Bridge faithful.
