Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Aleix Vidal hoping to remain at Barcelona beyond January

Aleix Vidal will give his all to ensure his future remains at Barcelona beyond January after impressing in the 4-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday.

Vidal, 27, has been the subject of constant transfer speculation in the local media since he fell out of favour following Barca's shock 2-1 defeat against Alaves in September.

However, after being brought back in from the cold for last week's Copa del Rey game against Hercules, the right-back was handed another start against Gladbach in the Champions League.

"I hope I can turn the situation around," he is quoted as saying by Sport after the game. "I enjoy each and every day I spend here. I've never said I want to leave and I will always give 1,000 percent to be able to be a success here."

There were almost three months between the Alaves game and Vidal's appearance against Hercules and he admits it has been a difficult period for him.

However, he insists that his time on the sidelines was not due to a breakdown in his relationship with Barca coach Luis Enrique, who pushed for his signing from Sevilla in 2015.

"It's been sporting [reasons]," he said. "There are no problems with the mister. I'm not a person who looks for problems and I never will. The mister is in charge and I will continue to respect his decisions. He picks who he thinks deserves to play and I will keep working 200 percent in training. I've had to work hard mentally, too, because the situation I've experienced was not what I expected when I arrived."

Sport claims Vidal could now be handed a lifeline by Barca and given the chance to finish the season in Catalonia.

That is in contrast to previous reports which suggested his time at the Camp Nou was up, although the player himself managed to ignore what has been going on around him.

"If I'd have taken notice of everything that's been said in the last three months, maybe I'd have committed suicide," he said in further interview with beIN SPORTS. "It's come at me from all sides, but with a cool head I've been able to overcome it. I would be stupid to want to leave this team."

^ Back to Top ^