France international Ousmane Dembele has been named on the Barcelona squad for Sunday’s crunch Spanish league match against Atletico Madrid despite his ongoing contract standoff with the Liga side.
Xavi Hernandez has opted to stick with the talented 24-year-old despite reinforcements — Adama Traoré, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres — signed in the winter transfer window as Barcelona face a fight to finish in La Liga’s top four this season.
Xavi had warned Dembele on January 19 that he had to “extend” his contract or “leave” the club.
But the Barcelona coach conceded that he had no choice but to recall the French player who warned he would not “give in to blackmail” after being left out of last month’s Copa del Rey tie against Athletic Bilbao, with the Catalans crashing out to an extra-time defeat.