Riqui Puig Won't 'Close the Door' on Leaving Barcelona If He Doesn't Play More

Barcelona youngster Riqui Puig has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the Camp Nou in January if he does not receive more first-team opportunities. 

Puig is yet to feature for Barca's senior side this season.

Per Goal, the 20-year-old said he and other players in Barcelona's B team do not want to be there long term because they "aspire to play at a higher level."

When asked if he might exit the club in January, he said:

"No, theoretically no. But we'll see. I don't close the door, but it's true that I would like to have more minutes.

"If I don't have any minutes, I will have to make a decision. I'm not training so much with the first team this season, whereas last year I was practically in the first team setup, training with them and going down to play with the B team."

Puig made three first-team appearances for the Blaugrana last season, including two La Liga starts against Huesca and Celta Vigo.

However, in this campaign he has exclusively played with the B team, bagging two goals and two assists in 10 games.

Puig is a cut above many of the players operating at that level, as he showed with his assist for Alex Collado in September:

Barca blogger Kevin Williams is hoping he'll stay at the club:

A La Masia graduate, Puig is a dynamic and technically adept midfielder with intelligence beyond his years when it comes to influencing a game from the centre of the park.

Unfortunately for him, he has stiff competition to feature in Barca's midfield.

Sergio Busquets and summer arrival Frenkie de Jong aren't likely to be unseated, and manager Ernesto Valverde also has Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Sergi Roberto to call upon.

Valverde's options have left Puig's fellow academy graduate, Carles Alena, in a similar situation. The 21-year-old played 45 minutes in Barca's opening match of the season and has not featured since.

Rakitic and Vidal, who are 31 and 32, respectively, have been excellent players in their careers and the former in particular has been outstanding for Barca, but their time at the club should perhaps come to an end in the near future.

The pair struggled to deal with Slavia Prague's intensity in the UEFA Champions League in October and neither is at their peak.

The likes of Puig and Alena are more likely to be the future of Barca's midfield, and the club risk losing them if they don't start giving them opportunities.