Barcelona reportedly suspect that Memphis Depay has been purposely delaying his return from injury in order to be fit for the upcoming World Cup.
The Dutch attacker has been sidelined since September after picking up a hamstring injury in the Netherlands' 2-0 victory over Poland in the Nations League.
AS reports that some sources at Camp Nou are convinced that a desire to be in peak physical condition for the tournament is the reason he has not returned six weeks after an injury that was suspected to rule him out for just four to five weeks.
The attacker has only made three appearances so far this season after falling down the pecking order due to the signings of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
The club are expecting Depay to miss their two remaining league games against Almeria and Osasuna prior to the tournament.
The 28-year-old is just eight goals behind Robin van Persie as the nation's top goalscorer of all time and could put himself in pole position to overtake the legendary talisman with a good performance at the competition.
