Liverpool have reportedly decided to end their pursuit of Ousmane Dembele, with Jurgen Klopp pulling the plug on talks with the Barcelona contract rebel.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Liverpool are set to call off their pursuit of Ousmane Dembele. Jurgen Klopp has decided to end his interest in the Barcelona contract rebel due to the spate of injuries that have hampered his career and will instead focus on signing someone else as an attacking reinforcement.
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 as a popular addition to the first-team setup at a time when they were still reeling from the shock departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain. There was understandably a lot of hype surrounding the French forward as he had shown a lot of promise in his early years as a senior footballer.
However, his stint at Barcelona has been quite a dud so far, as a multitude of injuries have curtailed his progress enormously, with Dembele spending more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. To date, the 24-year-old has managed 30 goals and 21 assists in 118 appearances for the Blaugrana. Barcelona, though, are in a precarious situation with regard to his future.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is in the final year of his contract with the Catalan club, and talks over a new deal have stalled, with the player eyeing a potential exit as a free agent as things stand. Such a situation had reportedly piqued the interest of Liverpool.
Liverpool do appear to be in need of bringing in an attacking reinforcement after choosing not to replenish the spot vacated by Xherdan Shaqiri in the summer. In addition, with Divock Origi facing an uncertain future at Anfield, the Reds’ hand might well be forced next summer, considering both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will enter their thirties before the end of the season.
To that end, Dembele would have been a viable target for Liverpool, and the fact that he would be a potential addition on a free transfer did seem to be an appealing prospect. However, Liverpool have now decided to end their interest in Dembele, with Jurgen Klopp pulling the plug on talks with the Barcelona contract rebel.
Klopp believes that the spate of injuries that have hampered Dembele during his spell with Barcelona make him a risky proposition for Liverpool, which is why the pursuit has is now being called off. However, there is no shortage of interest in the 24-year-old, with Newcastle United and Juventus both keen on signing him. But, the prospect of a move to Liverpool appears to be over now.
