Ousmane Dembele has been at the centre of transfer speculation for some time now but the winger has shown his willingness to stay with Barcelona this summer - by returning to pre-season training a week before his team-mates.
The 22-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, made 42 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club during the 2018-19 season.
Despite scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists during the campaign, the France international has found himself under scrutiny with questions over his attitude and fitness.
The player reportedly angered staff and players by missing a training session in November before turning up late to another a month later.
It it his off-the-pitch antics and his fitness troubles that has led to uncertainty over his future at the Nou Camp and Bayern Munich and Liverpool are among the teams keeping tabs on his situation.
However Spanish daily Sport has reported that Dembele is desperate to remain at Barca beyond the summer and has recently cut short his holiday to work on his fitness.
According to to SER-Catalunya's 'La Graderia', the Frenchman asked the club if he could use their state-of-the-art Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper complex to work alongside a coach.
The Barca first-team isn't due to report for pre-season duty until this Sunday, July 14, but Dembele is keen to show his commitment to the club.
Barca are preparing for a huge squad overhaul this summer but must sell players in order to fund moves for new signings, and Dembele is on the list of potential departures.
Paris Saint-Germain's wantaway star Neymar has been linked with a sensational return to the Nou Camp, and he would seemingly take Dembele's spot in the first-team.
This surprise development emerged after Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed in April that Dembele is ‘much better’ than Neymar.
Speaking to Spanish television station TVE, he said: "It's not possible for Neymar to come to Barcelona as we have another sporting project with Dembele and Philippe Coutinho. We are happy with what we have.
"Dembele is a good professional player. He is a young guy who arrived at a huge club and that's not easy, but he has adapted and he is much better than Neymar."
