Dembele misses Dortmund training as Barca lurk

Berlin - Borussia Dortmund's wonderkid Ousmane Dembele failed to show up for training on Thursday, coach Peter Bosz said, fuelling speculation that the French youngster is poised to join Barcelona as Neymar's replacement.

"He didn't come to practice today. We don't know why. We tried to reach him but we were unable to," Bosz told reporters at a press conference.

French international Dembele, who at the age of just 20 is considered one of the top talents in Europe, has been hotly tipped to fill the void left by Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain for a record €222 million.

Barca immediately began scouting for replacements before the transfer window closes, with the rumour mill focussing on Dembele and Liverpool's Phillipe Coutinho.

Speculation about Dembele's possible move to Camp Nou reached fever-pitch this week after the French international deleted the words Borussia Dortmund and the team's slogan "true love" from his Twitter and Instagram profiles.