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Barcelona settled for a 1-1 draw against 10-men Sevilla on Tuesday. Xavi Hernandez has endured a rocky start to his managerial reign. The Catalans have a lot of work to do and the club are also preparing ahead of what's expected to be a busy January transfer window for them.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 24 December 2021.
Gavi says he has always been a Barcelona fan
17-year-old midfielder Gavi has been a revelation this season. He has burst onto the scene this term and has already become an important player for both club and country.
Barcelona have secured his future by inserting a €1 billion release clause in his new contract. Gavi is a La Masia product. Speaking after winning the Youth of the Year 2021 award, the teenager revealed that he has been a 'Culer' since his childhood. He said (via Diario Sport):
“In the first months it cost me a lot, but as the season progressed I adapted. In the end everything ended well.
“I was always very clear, I always wanted to play for Barcelona. I’ve been a Culer since I was little, and for me to play at Camp Nou was a dream, and I made it come true.”
Ousmane Dembele snubs Manchester United
Ousmane Dembele's current contract expires next summer. He is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at Barcelona and has garnered a lot of attention from around Europe. According to Sport (via Sport Witness), Dembele is now close to signing a two-year deal with Barcelona.
He has decided to snub lucrative offers made by Manchester United and Newcastle United. The report adds that Dembele's agent was keen to take him to another club. However, the 24-year-old intervened and asked his agent to prioritize signing a new deal at Barcelona.
Since joining the club in 2017, Dembele has scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in 125 appearances across all competitions.
Barcelona reject chance to re-sign Rafinha Alcantara
According to Spanish publication El Nacional, Barcelona have rejected the chance to bring former player Rafinha Alcantara back to the club. The 28-year-old is reportedly close to securing a switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Sociedad.
Rafinha is a La Masia product and rose through the ranks at the youth academy before making his senior debut in 2011 at the age of 18. Despite offering glimpses of real quality, Rafinha couldn't hold down a starting spot at Barcelona.
In 90 appearances across all competitions for the Catalans, Rafinha scored 12 goals and provided eight assists. He had loan spells at Inter Milan and Celta Vigo before joining PSG in the summer of 2020.
Rafinha has not featured heavily for the Ligue 1 giants either and has made just 39 appearances for them since joining the club. He is not happy with his current situation and has asked to leave PSG. They are willing to let him leave for the right price.
Rafinha's representatives made contact with Barcelona director Mateu Almeny. However, Xavi Hernandez decided that he doesn't want the player back at the Camp Nou.
