Barcelona Transfer News: Paco Alcacer Wants to Stay Despite Exit Rumours

Paco Alcacer has spoken of his desire to stay put at Barcelona despite rumours he could be moved on in January.

Alcacer spoke to beIN Sports (h/t Sport) after scoring twice to hand Barca a 2-1 win over Sevilla: "I am very clear about what I want, which is to stay at Barcelona, to keep working hard and to get better every day alongside Luis [Suarez] and Leo [Messi], who are the best forwards in the world and I learn a lot from them."

Sport (h/t Sport Witness) reported in October that the Blaugrana are hoping to offload Alcacer this winter, either permanently or on loan, and he was said to be attracting interest from Southampton, Lille OSC and Celta Vigo.

Alcacer's seven-minute outing against Malaga on October 21 was his first appearance since August, but he has since followed that up with a goal against Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey and now his brace against Sevilla.

The Spaniard did not appear too worried about his lack of game time, however: "We are a big squad and there are players that have to be left out. You have to work hard to get in the team and take the opportunities you get. Personally, it's satisfying to score two and to help the team, because I don't play on my own and the team is the most important thing." 

Football journalist Rafael Hernandez praised the striker and was glad to see his talents utilised correctly:

The 24-year-old struggled to make an impact in his first season at the Camp Nou and scored a modest eight goals last year, albeit one was in the Copa del Rey final.

Although Alcacer may not be able to unseat Suarez in the long-term, he has an opportunity to play an important role at the club, particularly with the Uruguayan struggling—his goal drought has now extended to 451 minutes, and his all-round play has been well below his usual standard this season.

Alcacer has now averaged a goal every 95 minutes this season, and he also helped out at the back against Sevilla, per ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden:

Indeed, according to Sport's Esther Blasco, the forward recovered the ball three times in defence.

The striker has shown enough to be given more of an opportunity at the Camp Nou, and he'll likely receive one if Suarez's poor form continues, particularly after his brace.

There's scope for Alcacer to become a valuable asset at Barcelona, perhaps in a similar role to the one Alvaro Morata played at Real Madrid last year, where he netted 20 times despite being a back-up.

If he can continue to prove his worth either from the bench or when rotated in, it's unlikely the club will move him on so soon.