Barcelona fullback Daniel Alves says Ousmane Dembele should be considered for selection.

As his contract runs down, Dembele faces being frozen out after refusing to leave in January.

"As long as he is still at Barcelona, we have to defend him. If he leaves at the end of the season, then fine... but there are still five months left and we have to take advantage of the fact that he is still here," Alves told Movistar+.

"I think there are situations when you have to be smarter than your ego.

"We have to be smarter about the situation. We need to be as strong as possible, a joint effort from everyone.

"We are trying to get Barcelona back towards the top of the table, to create a healthy and positive atmosphere where there are no bad feelings.

"Negative things don't help you to grow, they don't help you to do things well.

"It's obvious that we have to create harmony within the dressing room and the club. At the end of the day, we are all representing Barcelona."