Ousmane Dembele’s contract situation at Barcelona had been left flip-flopping for quite some time now with the 24-year-old soon entering the final six months of his contract at Camp Nou yet without any lack of clarity on his future. Barcelona, desperate not to lose his services, have been going all out to try and renew his contract but without any success so far.
Having been with the Blaugrana for over four years now, Dembele signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth over €130 million including bonuses. However, the winger could not justify the massive price tag, although in all fairness injuries have hampered his performance greatly.
Shockingly, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has missed out on almost 100 matches in his tenure at Camp Nou with injury and fitness issues being the main causes. Yet, despite the problems, Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez and club president Joan Laporta are waxing lyrical about the French international, with both desperate to keep hold of him. Laporta has even recently gone as far as claiming that the ex-Rennes prodigy is a much better player than PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, which of course is a ludicrous claim to be taken with more than just the normal pinch of salt.
Despite the desperate charm offensive from the president, talks over a new deal have yet to yield the desired result as Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, seems set to be pushing for a move away in search of a better contract for the Frenchman, not to mention a hefty commission for himself.
The French international, when firing from all cylindlers, is not without his admirers as clubs across Europe are keeping a close eye on his situation at Camp Nou, with the likes of Manchester United, PSG, Bayern Munich all keeping their fingers crossed, hoping to sign him on a pre-contract agreement in January.
However, according to a report from Fichajes, things are stirring right now with claims that Barcelona are just one step away from renewing Dembele’s contract, with club director Mateu Alemany having even sent a message to the fans, claiming that the forward has notified the club of his desires to continue at Camp Nou, adding that a resolution could be reached before the turn of the year.
“Ousmane Dembélé always told us that he wants to stay here. We are at a key moment, we hope to resolve the situation before the end of the year,” Alemany said.
Xavi also commented on the situation prior to Barça’s La Liga clash against Elche, saying: “I spoke to Dembélé. He’s happy. He wants to stay. I can’t say anything more than that. Let’s be positive and hope he renews.”
All things point towards the former Borussia Dortmund sensation wanting to stay at Barcelona. The club will be hoping to reach an agreement at the earliest and put this whole episode far behind in the rear-view.