Luis Suarez has urged Ousmane Dembele to knuckle down and take inspiration from his exemplary team-mates at Barcelona.
Reports in Spain suggest the Catalan giants are considering selling Dembele due to the 21-year-olds attitude problems and inability to turn up on time for training.
Diario AS even claim that Barca are concerned the youngster has developed a gaming addiction and the club do not believe that he has been struggling with an illness.
Ernesto Valverde has dropped Dembele from Barcas matchday squad on several occasions as a result of disciplinary problems and an asking price of €100million (£88.7m) has been set for the Frenchman.
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Asked about Dembele, Suarez replied: I think being a footballer is a privilege.
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I think he should focus on football, and take inspiration from the exemplary professionals in the Barcelona dressing room.
Liverpool and Arsenal are both understood to be monitoring the situation ahead of the January transfer window.
Jurgen Klopp is particularly keen on Dembele and is prepared to smash Liverpools transfer record with an £85m bid for the World Cup winner.
Dembeles agent, Moussa Sissoko, laughed off rumours that he attacker had been dropped for Barcelonas clash with Real Betis for breaching team rules.
All these criticisms make me laugh. It had already begun with a so-called delay at the meeting before the Champions League match against Inter, he told RMC Sport last week.
I am surprised very serious newspapers can report this information because Ousmane didnt arrive late. His coach has confirmed the fact he was not in the starting XI was not due to a delay.
Sissoko insisted that Dembele really had come down with an illness and rubbished speculation that the youngster could be on his way out of the Nou Camp.
It is true that Ousmane was sick [before Betis], Sissoko said.
He had not slept all night, he was very tired. He missed the morning training and what the club has blamed us for is that he did not provide notification so a doctor can come to assess him.
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He did that late. But he was sick, the club confirmed he had a (gastrointestinal illness), he missed training because of that. Im surprised we can make controversy when he is sick.
Ousmane continues to work. He is in a big club, he is in the national team and Didier Deschamps continues to call him. He is very much demanding of the players behavior and their performances, so if Ousmane is today in the French team, he deserves it.
I also had Eric Abidal [Barcelona sporting director] on the phone and he is very happy with Ousmane, he told me he was training very well. He does not question him at all right now.
MORE: Dimitar Berbatov urges Manchester United board to back Jose Mourinho in transfer window
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Luis Suarez has urged Ousmane Dembele to knuckle down and take inspiration from his exemplary team-mates at Barcelona.
Reports in Spain suggest the Catalan giants are considering selling Dembele due to the 21-year-olds attitude problems and inability to turn up on time for training.
Diario AS even claim that Barca are concerned the youngster has developed a gaming addiction and the club do not believe that he has been struggling with an illness.
Ernesto Valverde has dropped Dembele from Barcas matchday squad on several occasions as a result of disciplinary problems and an asking price of €100million (£88.7m) has been set for the Frenchman.
More: Football
Asked about Dembele, Suarez replied: I think being a footballer is a privilege.
Advertisement Advertisement
I think he should focus on football, and take inspiration from the exemplary professionals in the Barcelona dressing room.
Liverpool and Arsenal are both understood to be monitoring the situation ahead of the January transfer window.
Jurgen Klopp is particularly keen on Dembele and is prepared to smash Liverpools transfer record with an £85m bid for the World Cup winner.
Dembeles agent, Moussa Sissoko, laughed off rumours that he attacker had been dropped for Barcelonas clash with Real Betis for breaching team rules.
All these criticisms make me laugh. It had already begun with a so-called delay at the meeting before the Champions League match against Inter, he told RMC Sport last week.
I am surprised very serious newspapers can report this information because Ousmane didnt arrive late. His coach has confirmed the fact he was not in the starting XI was not due to a delay.
Sissoko insisted that Dembele really had come down with an illness and rubbished speculation that the youngster could be on his way out of the Nou Camp.
It is true that Ousmane was sick [before Betis], Sissoko said.
He had not slept all night, he was very tired. He missed the morning training and what the club has blamed us for is that he did not provide notification so a doctor can come to assess him.
Advertisement Advertisement
More: Football
He did that late. But he was sick, the club confirmed he had a (gastrointestinal illness), he missed training because of that. Im surprised we can make controversy when he is sick.
Ousmane continues to work. He is in a big club, he is in the national team and Didier Deschamps continues to call him. He is very much demanding of the players behavior and their performances, so if Ousmane is today in the French team, he deserves it.
I also had Eric Abidal [Barcelona sporting director] on the phone and he is very happy with Ousmane, he told me he was training very well. He does not question him at all right now.
MORE: Dimitar Berbatov urges Manchester United board to back Jose Mourinho in transfer window
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