Hansi Flick holds private Gavi meeting as Barcelona resist Paris Saint-Germain interest

Hansi Flick held a lengthy private meeting with Gavi at training on Tuesday as Barcelona prepare to face Racing Santander, reinforcing the midfielder’s importance to the club’s plans and signalling that he remains central to the manager’s thinking.

Flick spoke one-to-one with the Andalusian midfielder for several minutes, accompanied by assistant coach Arnau Blanco and away from the rest of the squad. The conversation took place during Barcelona’s morning session ahead of Wednesday’s La Liga fixture against the Cantabrian side.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Flick’s message was clear: his confidence in Gavi has not been affected by the player’s difficult start to the season.

Gavi began Barcelona’s opening match against Elche but played only 44 minutes before a right-leg injury ruled him out of the games against Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano. He returned for the Champions League match against Feyenoord, although he was limited to eight minutes, and then remained on the substitutes’ bench for the meetings with Valencia and Levante.

The 21-year-old has nevertheless impressed in training, showing energy and a positive attitude. That form has made him one of the leading candidates to start against Racing Santander, with Flick expected to make changes and prioritise players who are fully fit.

Barcelona face a demanding schedule, with Wednesday’s match followed by a trip to Sevilla on Saturday to play at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. Flick is keen to use players capable of handling the two successive fixtures.

The meeting with Gavi comes as reports from France suggest Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for the midfielder at the request of their manager, Luis Enrique.

Those reports claim that Luis Enrique wants Paris Saint-Germain to contact Barcelona to discuss a possible deal worth about 40m euros.

Barcelona’s position, however, is described as firm: the club have no intention of selling Gavi. The player is also said to be fully focused on achieving success with Barcelona.

Flick’s private discussion with him on Tuesday underlined the midfielder’s continued importance to the German coach as he considers his starting XI for the next two matches.