Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United have reportedly contacted Barcelona contract rebel Ousmane Dembele.
According to reputed French journalist Santi Aouna, Ousmane Dembele will leave Barcelona as a free agent in next summer’s transfer window. However, the Frenchman is a popular figure in the market, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United among the clubs keen on signing him.
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017, with pundits and fans touting him as Neymar’s long-term replacement. However, the 24-year-old has proven to be anything but after being blighted by a spate of injuries in the last four and a half years.
The same has been the case in the ongoing campaign, as the 24-year-old has managed only 438 minutes of game-time across eight appearances this term, providing two assists in the process. However, Dembele is in the final year of his contract with Barcelona, putting the Blaugrana in a spot of bother. Such a situation has alerted Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
The interest from Chelsea might be surprising, but it is understandable. Several of the Blues’ recent signings have flattered deceive, leaving Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner facing uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge. Interestingly, each of the Chelsea attacking trio has been linked with Barcelona, and the departure of any of the players will leave the club in need of signing an attacker.
? Info : Ousmane Dembélé ?? ne prolongera à #Barcelone, comme l'a rapporté @gerardromero.
• Le #PSG, #Chelsea, Manchester United, le #Bayern, #Newcastle ont tous contacté son agent Moussa Sissoko ??.
• Sissoko ?? a réclamé au Barça 40M€ de salaire bruts et 40M€ de prime. pic.twitter.com/50NXUziPbC
— Santi Aouna (@Santi_J_FM) December 29, 2021
To that end, Dembele is a viable target for Chelsea, despite his injury record. However, Manchester United’s pursuit of Dembele beggars belief, as Ralf Rangnick has plenty of attacking players at his disposal following the addition of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
While Edinson Cavani has been heavily linked with a possible departure, Dembele is not a like for like replacement for the Uruguayan striker. However, the Barcelona forward will improve the Newcastle United attack, which is why he is a viable target for the Magpies, who desperately need to bolster their squad.
In addition to Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also keen on signing Dembele. And each of the five clubs has approached his agent to ask about a possible Bosman move.
What appears to be certain is that Dembele is set to leave Barcelona, with his demands of a €40 million gross salary and a €40 million bonus payment being excessive for a club in financial turmoil. It remains to be seen if any of Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United will bring the Barcelona contract rebel to England or if some other club swoops him away.
