Dani Alves has said that Barcelona "have to take advantage" of having Ousmane Dembele at the club, with the Frenchman staying at Camp Nou beyond the end of the January transfer window.

Having refused to sign a new deal at Camp Nou, the Catalan giants told Dembele that he would be sold in the winter market, and a number of clubs were linked with his services.

The deadline passed with the France international still at the club, and Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said that it will be up to head coach Xavi to decide whether the World Cup winner is now brought back into the squad, having been left out of their last two matches.

Ahead of Sunday's key La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid, Alves has come to the defence of his teammate, insisting that the 24-year-old can contribute for the remainder of the campaign.

"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."

Dembele, who has scored once and provided two assists in 11 appearances for Barcelona this season, only has a contract at Camp Nou until the end of June.