Barcelona coach Xavi met with the agent of Ousmane Dembele on Tuesday.

Marca says this was the first time that Xavi and Moussa Sissoko have met.

Xavi was very frank with Sissoko and made clear that Barcelona wanted Dembele to stay, as evidenced by the renewal offers put to his agent, but these have all been turned down.

Once it became clear from Barcelona's perspective that Dembele was not going to put pen to paper on a new deal, they decided that it would be best for him to leave before January 31 - and this is a sentiment Xavi echoed to Sissoko on Tuesday.

"If he does not accept one of these two options, he will not play for Barcelona again," said Xavi.

The Barcelona boss may have been strong in his message, but it was not a tense meeting between the two. Rather, there was a mutual understanding that together they need to find a solution to this issue.

Sissoko stressed in the meeting that Dembele wants to help Barcelona and that he is committed to the club's project, as evidenced by the dedication he is showing in training.