Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann believes either Jamal Musiala or Jude Bellingham should have beaten Gavi to the Kopa Trophy at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The award – given to the best under-21 player in the world – went to a Barcelona midfielder for the second year in a row, as Gavi replicated Pedri's 2021 success. 

Bundesliga duo Musiala and Bellingham were both in contention for the prize, finishing third and fourth in the voting respectively, with Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga coming second.

Asked about Musiala's failure to land the award ahead of Bayern's trip to Augsburg in the DFB-Pokal, Nagelsmann said: "You wear club glasses. 

"In my eyes, both Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham have had better seasons than the winner. Gavi is an outstanding player, and I'm happy for him too."

No Bayern player has bettered Musiala's return of five league goals this season (level with Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane).

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham last week followed Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland as just the third teenager to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances.

Attention for Bayern now turns to the DFB-Pokal, which they last won in 2020.

Their bid to go beyond the second round this season could be hamstrung by the absence of Manuel Neuer, but Nagelsmann is not prepared to take any risks with his shoulder injury.

"It's not a conscious pause. Anything in the shoulder area is unfavourable for a goalkeeper," the coach explained. "If you have a sharp pain, you can't react. 

"He has pain when moving and is therefore restricted. As a goalkeeper, it's impossible to get 100 per cent performance then, so it doesn't make sense [to play Neuer]. It would be easier with an outfield player.

"We do everything in the necessary care for the players. We try everything to prevent this and consult all possible values. The rhythm is what it is. It's annoying when players are out and injured."

Nagelsmann also offered an update on the condition of Lucas Hernandez, who he hopes will recover from a muscle tear before the World Cup begins next month.

"It's looking better. We're making a bit more of him," Nagelsmann said of the defender. "We have to be patient. I can't say how long it will take. 

"It hasn't been looking too good lately. He's making progress, but it's a tough injury. I hope he can play at the World Cup."

Robert Lewandowski earned the Gerd Muller Trophy by scoring 57 goals for club and country last season and is not about to shirk the challenge of reeling in Erling Haaland in the 2022-23 campaign.

Lewandowski was presented with France Football's award for world football's leading marksman for the second year in a row on Monday, before Karim Benzema landed the Ballon d'Or for the first time.

The honour – previously the Striker of the Year – has been renamed after Muller, the legendary Bayern Munich forward whose 40-goal single-season Bundesliga record Lewandowski broke en route to claiming the trophy.

But if the Barcelona man is going to retain the prize once again in 2023, he is going to have to overcome Manchester City's scoring sensation Haaland.

The City number nine has 20 goals for the club already, also netting once for Norway this season.

Meanwhile, Lewandowski, who was the fourth-best player in the Ballon d'Or rankings, has 14 for Barca and none for Poland to trail by seven.

The 34-year-old was asked about Haaland as he received the Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, with Didier Drogba telling him of "this kid" at City who is "on fire".

Lewandowski said: "The season is very long, and I know for me it's also a new chapter with Barcelona. Since the first days, I'm feeling very well in this club.

"From the first minutes, I see that with my team-mates we have big potential and I have the opportunity to score a lot of goals. I am sure that all together we are working on this.

"This is football, and we have to be always ready. I know the new generation is also coming, but still I am here."

Reflecting on his achievement, Lewandowski said: "I am very happy and glad and proud not only to win but because also of the name of this trophy. Gerd was a huge inspiration.

"Before the season, I wanted to be closer to him, and I always wanted to break some of his records. It was always a huge challenge.

"It was very emotional to score 41 goals in Bundesliga because I did not think it was possible to break this record. Everything I did was for him."

While Haaland's bid will wait another year, as he scored 42 times for Borussia Dortmund and Norway combined, City did not go away empty-handed.

The Premier League champions beat Champions League finalists Liverpool and Real Madrid to the Club of the Year prize.

Cristiano Ronaldo finished in 20th place in the Ballon d'Or voting as he headlined an array of stars to fall short of 2022 winner Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo, Benzema's former Real Madrid team-mate, was nominated following a strong season with Manchester United, but he could not come close to adding a sixth Ballon d'Or.

The United forward instead fell to his lowest finish since he last came 20th in 2005, then tied with Liverpool's Champions League winner Jamie Carragher.

Great rival Lionel Messi did not even earn a nomination after his first year at Paris Saint-Germain.

Some of the biggest names of the future came rather closer to troubling Karim Benzema, with Kylian Mbappe sixth and Erling Haaland 10th.

But neither made the final four, where Robert Lewandowski's world-leading 57-goal season for club and country was only enough for fourth place.

Ahead of him, Kevin De Bruyne was in third, with Sadio Mane second, perhaps showing what might have been for the ex-Liverpool forward had the Reds, not Madrid, won the Champions League final.

With Ronaldo 20th and Messi absent, the highest-ranking former Ballon d'Or winner was 2018's Luka Modric, one of Benzema's existing Madrid colleagues.

Modric came ninth, the lowest of four Madrid players in the top 10, as Champions League final winner Vinicius Junior was eighth and Yashin Trophy recipient Thibaut Courtois seventh.

2022 Ballon d'Or:

1. Karim Benzema
2. Sadio Mane
3. Kevin De Bruyne
4. Robert Lewandowski
5. Mohamed Salah
6. Kylian Mbappe
7. Thibaut Courtois
8. Vinicius Junior
9. Luka Modric
10. Erling Haaland
11. Son Heung-min
12. Riyad Mahrez
13. Sebastien Haller
14. Fabinho
14. Rafael Leao
16. Virgil van Dijk
17. Casemiro
17. Dusan Vlahovic
17. Luis Diaz
20. Cristiano Ronaldo
21. Harry Kane
22. Trent Alexander-Arnold
22. Phil Foden
22. Bernardo Silva
25. Joshua Kimmich
25. Mike Maignan
25. Antonio Rudiger
25. Joao Cancelo
25. Christopher Nkunku
25. Darwin Nunez

Barcelona teenager Gavi won the prestigious Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

The 18-year-old midfielder became the second successive Barca player to land the award, given to the best player in the world under the age of 21, after fellow midfielder Pedri had the honour last year.

Gavi has been a revelation since breaking into the Catalan giants' first team and has been rewarded for a brilliant breakthrough 2021-22 season.

The youngster's performances also earned him a Spain call-up and he is set to play in his first World Cup in Qatar.

Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was the runner-up, with Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala third ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain.

Gavi said: "I try and give the best of myself the whole time and try to apply myself in the best way."

He made 34 LaLiga appearances last season, scoring twice and providing six assists as he pulled the strings in the middle of the park.

Harry Kane's future at Tottenham is at a curious stage, having become more settled during Antonio Conte's tenure.

Kane has scored 10 goals in all competitions this term, including nine in the Premier League with Spurs starting strongly to sit third.

The England international had pushed to move to Manchester City in mid-2021 but ultimately was convinced to stay.

TOP STORY – SPURS PUSH TO OPEN KANE CONTRACT TALKS

Tottenham are eager to commence talks with Harry Kane on a new deal, but the England forward is holding off, claims Football Insider.

Antonio Conte's future at Spurs is a factor for Kane, with the Italian out of contract at the end of this season.

Bayern Munich have been linked with Kane who signed a six-year deal with Spurs in June 2018, tying him down until 2024.

ROUND-UP

– Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool are not considering a move for Barcelona's unsettled midfielder Frenkie de Jong, following reports to the contrary.

– Napoli are weighing up a potential move for Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele who is on loan with the Italian club, reports Inside Futebol. The Frenchman's release clause is €30 million, which Napoli are willing to trigger.

– Calciomercato claims Denis Zakaria is set to return to Juventus in January with Chelsea planning to terminate his loan deal, having failed to play a minute of first-team football since joining on deadline day.

– Italian champions Milan may make a move for Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in January, reports Calciomercato.

Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on Real Madrid for delivering a "complete match" as Los Blancos defeated Barcelona 3-1 in Sunday's Clasico.

Ancelotti's side have now won six of their past seven matches against Barca in all competitions, after goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo sealed maximum points at Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos subsequently moved three points clear at the summit of LaLiga, while condemning their rivals to a first domestic defeat of the season.

And the Italian was pleased by the confidence and control demonstrated by his players. When asked what was the key to his side's victory, he told DAZN: "Everything. We had to make a complete match, and we did it.

"It is true that the beginning was good, we got ahead quite early and we controlled it well in the second half. We had a lot of confidence, with and without the ball.

"It was clear that [Eder] Militao had to put pressure on [Robert] Lewandowski. We controlled the players well between the lines with [Toni] Kroos and [Aurelien] Tchouameni."

Valverde scored the pick of the goals with his fine 20-yard strike doubling Madrid's lead in the 35th minute, while it was the first Los Blancos had scored at home against Barca from outside the area since Raul did so during the 1998-99 season.

After failing to find the back of the net in LaLiga last season, the Uruguay international has now scored four in nine appearances this term.

"I try to enjoy in each position, to give the maximum in each position," Valverde said. "I know that above, I can contribute with goals and assists, and in the middle with work and energy. I was able to score and I'm very happy.

"We knew it would cost. I think we worked well, we knew how to defend and suffer, and in attack, we came out quickly."

Barcelona's Sergi Roberto believes "there is no need to burn everything" despite his team slipping to a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde struck in the first half on Sunday to give hosts Madrid a two-goal lead at the break, but Ferran Torres pulled one back with seven minutes left to give Barcelona hopes of a comeback.

However, Rodrygo secured all three points for the hosts when he fired home from the spot to leapfrog Madrid above Barca to the summit of LaLiga and round off a difficult week for the Blaugrana, whose Champions League hopes hang by a thread following Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Inter.

Despite the disappointing loss, Roberto remained positive over Barcelona's prospects this season and called for his team-mates to keep pulling in the same direction as they turn their attention to hosting Villarreal in LaLiga on Thursday.

"It is important to be forceful in both areas, and it was a shame," Roberto told DAZN. "When we had long possessions we were able to create chances and when we were on top when trying to find the equaliser, we conceded a penalty and it was impossible to equalise.

"We have another final now on Thursday and we have to go for the three points and be all united, fans, team, club. There is no need to burn everything, I fully trust this team."

Roberto's fellow defender, Jules Kounde, spoke of his frustrations at the result and the decision to award Madrid's penalty, telling DAZN: "[I am] very disappointed.

"I don't think we played a bad game but in the first half we failed in transitions.

"When they don't have the ball, it seems like they're struggling, but on two occasions they scored two goals and we have to learn from this.

"The penalty? I don't see it but I think it's very little. With 2-1 maybe we would have had a chance to draw."

Toni Kroos has hailed his Real Madrid team-mate Federico Valverde as one of the "top three" players in the world.

Valverde continued his sensational start to the season on Sunday by scoring Los Blancos' second goal in their 3-1 Clasico triumph over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.

After failing to find the back of the net in 31 LaLiga games last season, Valverde has now scored four in nine appearances this term.

The Uruguay international's fine strike was the first Madrid have scored at home against Barca from outside the area since Raul did so during the 1998-99 season.

Kroos is in no doubt about Valverde's standing in world football, with the former Germany international taking to social media to heap praise on his team-mate.

Posting on Twitter, Kroos said: "Fede Valverde top 3 in the world right now."

Karim Benzema had earlier given Los Blancos the lead against Barcelona, before Valverde's crisp strike from 20 yards doubled their advantage.

Ferran Torres pulled one back for Barca with seven minutes remaining, but Rodrygo restored the hosts' two-goal advantage in stoppage time from the penalty spot after he had been fouled by Eric Garcia.

The win saw Madrid move three points clear of their great rivals at the summit of LaLiga.

Xavi demanded more "aggression" from his Barcelona players after a 3-1 Clasico defeat against Real Madrid on Sunday.

Barca were usurped at the summit of LaLiga as strikes from Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde and a late Rodrygo penalty sealed a comfortable win for Carlo Ancelotti's champions at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The defeat was Barca's first of the season in LaLiga and Xavi called for more from his players, starting with Thursday's clash against Villarreal.

"We're leaving empty-handed. We haven't taken advantage of our moments and Madrid have," he said.

"We weren't bad in the first half, but if we want to win this type of match, we have to change our mentality. 

"It worries me that we haven't been at our level of play. The first goal can't happen.

"We're in a situation that doesn't work out for us and we have to change it as of Thursday. I can't be happy with losing 3-1.

"We have been very good in the league but we have to improve our forcefulness and aggression.

"I don't think that the Inter game [in midweek] had an influence. Without playing a great game, we've had our moments to draw 1-1, 2-2, but when you don’t concentrate at the Bernabeu these things happen."

Barca now trail their rivals by three points and return to league action with the visit of Villarreal on Thursday.

Karim Benzema should collect the Ballon d'Or trophy in Paris on Monday. The votes have been counted, and nobody seriously expects another outcome, even with football's propensity for surprise when it comes to a ballot.

But as if to emphasise his outstanding candidacy for France Football's coveted world player of the year award, Benzema scored and captained Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico, football's biggest domestic game.

One man does not make a team, but without Benzema it was a guileless Real Madrid that took a hideous 4-0 whacking by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in March.

It was back to normal service on Sunday, the skipper delivering the sort of accomplished centre-forward performance he has repeated time and again in recent seasons, playing a key role in a 3-1 win that sent Madrid three points clear of Xavi's upstart Barca at the top of LaLiga.

This is imperial phase Benzema, at the most revered and most productive stage of his career. Last season, he hit 44 goals in 46 games for Madrid, helping Carlo Ancelotti's team win not only the Spanish league but the Champions League.

Long gone are the days when he was a subordinate to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and even perhaps Gareth Bale for a time. In his 14th season now at Madrid, Benzema is the great survivor, the man who rises to the big occasions.

He came off in the 88th minute of this game to a standing ovation, having got the better of rival number nine Robert Lewandowski, whose Clasico debut was one to forget.

Barcelona's thumping win at this stadium was a curio in Madrid's 2021-22 season and rightly treated as such. With Benzema ruled out by a leg injury, Carlo Ancelotti deployed Luka Modric in a false nine position to which he was spectacularly ill-suited, and Barcelona ran the hosts ragged, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring twice in the rout.

El Clasico has not been Benzema's most productive fixture, and it has been the Frenchman's longevity as much as anything that means only Lionel Messi has had more goal involvements in such matches during the 21st century. Messi had 40 (26 goals and 14 assists), and Benzema now has 21 (12 goals and nine assists).

In LaLiga, Benzema had played in 25 of these games before Sunday's encounter, winning only eight (D5 L12) and scoring just seven goals – including just one goal since April 2016.

Considering his overall record for Madrid showed Benzema hitting 327 goals in 614 games, this represented a disappointing tally.

LaLiga newcomer Lewandowski, meanwhile, could point to six goals in eight games on Champions League duty against Madrid, four of those coming for Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the 2012-13 semi-final. Nobody has scored more against Madrid in the history of that competition.

Would this be a shoot-out between Benzema and Lewandowski? If so, first blood went to Benzema. Toni Kroos, being grappled with by Sergio Busquets, prodded the ball into space for Vinicius Junior down the left, and the Brazilian's acceleration took him clear of the Barcelona backline.

Four Barcelona defenders gave desperate chase, and when Ter Stegen palmed away the winger's shot, it ran only as far as the unattended Benzema.

He had skilfully held his run, and from 12 yards side-footed through that thicket of defenders, who had all but forgotten about him.

Benzema tore away towards the corner flag, kissing the badge on his shirt, arms open wide, a familiar pose in these parts.

Barcelona had conceded just once in their opening eight LaLiga games. Here they were up against it, yet they should have been level in the 25th minute when Raphinha's low ball across goal from the right was scooped over by a stretching Lewandowski at the far post.

It was quite some miss, particularly by the standards of the man who scored 50 goals for Bayern Munich last term.

Madrid's second goal came in the 35th minute and was rather splendid, Federico Valverde slamming into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards for his fourth goal of the season, the most he has managed in a single LaLiga campaign.

Barcelona had twice as many shots as Madrid in the first half (8-4) and 62.3 per cent of possession, but they trailed 3-2 in attempts on target – and by two clear goals.

All the passing accuracy in the world is no assurance of goals (Barca led this metric in the first half too – 91.8 per cent to Madrid's 84.4).

Benzema thought he had added a third for Madrid when he struck in style early in the second half, but he had strayed offside before receiving the ball.

Barcelona had plenty of chances (they finished the game 2.26 to 1.44 ahead on expected goals), and Lewandowski had a strong case for a penalty in the 74th minute when Dani Carvajal barged him over, but that did not even go to a VAR check.

Finally, Barca got a goal when Ferran Torres tucked in from close range in the 83rd minute, but hopes of a point were scotched in stoppage time when Rodrygo's penalty, after Eric Garcia trod on his toes, wrapped up the home win.

Benzema by then had a comfortable seat at pitchside, resting up before heading off for what should be a coronation at the Theatre du Chatelet in his home capital city.

Barcelona's unbeaten start in LaLiga is over, and they face likely Champions League elimination before the World Cup rolls around.

This is sweet music to Madrid ears, Benzema conducting the orchestra with aplomb once again.

Real Madrid leapfrogged Barcelona at the summit of LaLiga as goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo sealed a 3-1 triumph in El Clasico on Sunday.

Barca had conceded just one goal in eight league games this season prior to the visit to the Santiago Bernabeu, but two clinical finishes from Benzema and Valverde saw them two goals down at the interval.

Xavi's side pulled one back with seven minutes remaining through Ferran Torres, but the hosts restored their two-goal advantage in stoppage time courtesy of Rodrygo's penalty.

The result marked Barca's first league defeat of the campaign, with victory for Los Blancos moving them three points clear of their great rivals at the top of the table.

Madrid went ahead in the 12th minute when Benzema fired home from 12 yards via a deflection from Sergi Roberto after Marc-Andre ter Stegen had raced off his line to deny Vinicius Junior.

Barca were presented with a golden opportunity to restore parity in the 25th minute, yet a stretching Robert Lewandowski somehow managed to scoop the ball over the crossbar from just a few yards out following Raphinha's cross.

Xavi's men were punished for that miss 10 minutes before the interval when Valverde whipped into Ter Stegen's bottom-right corner from 20 yards.

Benzema thought he had scored a wonderful second shortly after half-time, but his curled effort from 20 yards was ruled out for offside.

Substitute Torres reduced the deficit with a simple finish at the back post after superb work from Ansu Fati, yet Rodrygo wrapped the win up for Madrid from the spot after he had been tripped by Eric Garcia – the decision given following a VAR review.

Xavi brought Jules Kounde straight back into Barcelona's team for Sunday's Clasico clash with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Kounde, a big-money signing from Sevilla, returned to training earlier this week after recovering from a hamstring issue sustained on international duty with France in September.

His return to the starting XI, which marks his Clasico debut, came at the expense of Gerard Pique, who was culpable for one of Inter's goals in Wednesday's 3-3 draw in the Champions League, which left Barca on the brink of an early exit from the competition.

Frenkie de Jong also came into the team, replacing Gavi, while Marcos Alonso made way for Alejandro Balde at left-back.

Xavi stuck with the same front three that started against Inter, with Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha flanking Robert Lewandowski, the latter two, like Kounde, making their Clasico debuts.

Lewandowski has scored six goals in eight meetings with Real Madrid, all in the Champions League, making him the player who has scored the most goals against Los Blancos in the history of that competition.

Sergio Busquets, meanwhile, will equal Francisco Gento (21 wins) as the player with the most victories in Clasico history in all competitions should Barca win.

Carlo Ancelotti was unable to call on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has failed to recover from injury in time to feature for the hosts, so Andriy Lunin retained his place.

Ancelotti was otherwise able to name what many would consider a first-choice XI, spearheaded by Karim Benzema, who has been involved in 20 goals in 38 Clasicos, a record only bettered by Lionel Messi in the 21st century (40).
 

Antoine Griezmann apologised to Atletico Madrid fans for the "damage" he may have done when initially leaving the club for Barcelona in 2019.

Griezmann joined Barca in 2019 when the Catalans triggered his €120million release clause, ending a long courtship by the Blaugrana.

Barca had been heavily linked with Griezmann in 2018, but the player opted to remain with Atletico, making his announcement in a documentary called 'La Decision'.

Although Griezmann stayed then, many Atletico fans were frustrated by his conduct, with the documentary – echoing his NBA hero LeBron James' 'The Decision' – seen by some as an unnecessary sideshow that stoked speculation.

The France forward ended up joining Barca the following year, but his spell at Camp Nou was generally underwhelming, and he returned to Atletico last season on loan, a deal that was made permanent on Monday.

In his first LaLiga game since signing a permanent deal with Atletico, Griezmann scored the winner in a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao to take his league tally for the club to 100, and afterwards he felt it necessary to offer an olive branch to supporters.

"In the end, I want to apologise," he said.

"I know that people want to hear it from my mouth: I apologise for the damage I may have done to fans.

"But the greatest forgiveness I want to ask for is on the pitch, giving everything for the team and with [games] like this."

Atletico completed the signing of Griezmann after opting to tread carefully with the amount of minutes he was being given earlier this season.

According to reports, Atletico would have been obliged to pay €40m for Griezmann if he had played more than 30 minutes in a certain percentage of their games.

As such, Diego Simeone routinely brought Griezmann on after the 60th minute, and in the end that tactic seemingly forced Barca to accept a significantly reduced deal apparently worth just under €20m.

"Personally, it was complicated, but I tried not to show it," Griezmann said of the contractual quirk.

"I know I was playing for a coach I love very much and some team-mates who deserve the best of me.

"If I have to play, I give 100 per cent, and if I don't [play], I encourage my team-mates. Then, when I come on, I try to make a difference."

Frenkie de Jong's future at Barcelona remains up in the air after a drawn-out saga ahead of the season.

The Dutch midfielder had interest from Barcelona but wanted to stay at Camp Nou.

However, De Jong's opportunities have been limited this season, perhaps encouraging further bids.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL MOVE IN FOR BARCELONA'S DE JONG

Liverpool have entered the race to sign the unsettled De Jong from Barcelona, claims SPORT.

De Jong resisted interest in from United with a strong desire to play Champions League football, which Jurgen Klopp's side can offer.

Liverpool midfielders Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of this season, when Arthur's loan will also expire, so the club are assessing their options.

The domestic struggles of the Reds could precipitate January transfer activity, given their need for midfield reinforcements.

ROUND-UP

– Liverpool may try to hijack Chelsea 's move for RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku, claims The Sun. The Reds sent scouts to watch the French forward against Celtic in the Champions League in midweek but fear Chelsea are well down the line with Nkunku, and they have missed the boat.

– Talks between Everton and Chelsea target Anthony Gordon on a contract extension have stalled, according to The Sun. Gordon reportedly wants approximately £100,000 per week.

– Manchester United have reached out to Lautaro Martinez's agent about the Inter forward's availability, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. Martinez is contracted until 2026, while Barcelona are also interested.

– United have joined Chelsea and Manchester City in having an active interest in Milan's Portuguese attacker Rafael Leao, claims The Mirror. United sent scouts to watch him against Chelsea in the Champions League.

– Chelsea are interested in Napoli's Slovakia international Stanislav Lobotka, reports Calciomercato. Napoli and the midfielder are close to sealing a new deal.

– Newcastle United have commenced discussions with the agent of Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos, reports Torcedores. Barcelona are also interested in the Brazilian, who has a release clause of £34.6million (€40m).

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has been named in Xavi's squad for Sunday's showdown with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu after recovering from injury.

The 23-year-old has not played for Barca since their 3-0 win over Elche on September 17 after sustaining a thigh blow while on international duty with France.

Barca did not give a timeline for Kounde's comeback, but head coach Xavi indicated earlier this week the centre-back had a chance of featuring against Madrid.

The former Sevilla man was involved in training at Ciutat Esportiva on Thursday, before being named in the squad for a mouth-watering clash against Carlo Ancelotti's side.

There is no place in the squad for Memphis Depay, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin and Ronald Araujo, who are all still sidelined through injury.

Xavi's side drew 3-3 draw with Inter on Wednesday to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, but they are level on points with Madrid at the LaLiga summit after winning seven league games in a row, keeping a clean sheet in six of those.