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Xavi Hernandez has been appointed as the new Barcelona manager. Ronald Koeman was fired from the role two weeks ago after the team got off to a poor start to the season. Barcelona will play their first game under Xavi on Saturday night against Espanyol at the Camp Nou.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 17 November 2021.
Xavi wants to give Philippe Coutinho a chance
Philippe Coutinho's dream move to Barcelona has not worked out well. He has become a peripheral figure at the club after recovering from a knee injury which saw him miss out on the majority of the 2020-21 season.
Despite being heavily linked with Newcastle United, Coutinho is reportedly set to stay at Barcelona. SPORT claims that new manager Xavi Hernandez wants to give the Brazilian midfielder a chance and see how he performs before making a call on his future.
Coutinho is Barcelona's most expensive signing. They roped him in from Liverpool in 2018 for a sum of €135 million. Coutinho has made 11 appearances so far this term but has been missing from the side since Ronald Koeman was given the sack.
Dani Olmo's Barcelona move in doubt
Dani Olmo is a player who has been extensively linked with Barcelona this season. Olmo was on Barcelona's books between 2007 and 2014 before eventually joining Dinamo Zagreb. He is currently at RB Leipzig and the Catalans are interested in bringing him back to the Camp Nou.
The Spaniard admitted in the summer that he would like to return to Barcelona as well. However, El Nacional claims that Olmo now has doubts about the move. This is reportedly due to the interest that Barcelona have shown in Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling.
The Englishman has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City following the arrival of Jack Grealish. Barcelona have been alerted to the opportunity and are likely to sign only one of Sterling and Olmo as both players play in similar positions.
Manchester United have reportedly registered an interest in Dani Olmo and are keeping tabs on his situation.
Barcelona close to reaching agreement with Karim Adeyemi
RB Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi has become one of the most sought-after young strikers in the world. The 19-year-old has scored 15 goals in 22 appearances for the Austrian Bundesliga outfit this term. He had also won the u21 European championship with Germany in the summer.
Journalist Patrick Berger of SPORT1 claims that Barcelona are willing to offer €40 million to RB Salzburg to secure the services of the teenager. They are also reportedly ready to offer him a 5-year contract.
Portuguese transfer specialist Pedro Almeida has corroborated the claim. Another prominent journalist, Gerard Romero, claimed via his Twitch channel that the Catalans are very close to reaching an agreement with Adeyemi.
