Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly the front-runners to sign Ousmane Dembele if he leaves Barcelona as a free agent.
According to a report by 90 min, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are leading the way in the race to sign Ousmane Dembele on a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The two clubs remain in talks with the Barcelona forward, who could depart Camp Nou as a free agent.
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017 amid a lot of hype surrounding him. The Frenchman was widely regarded as a potential long-term successor for Neymar following the Brazilian’s shock move to Paris Saint-Germain, but he has been blighted by several injuries in the last four and a half years, with his attitude also questionable.
To date, the 24-year-old has emerged a sub-par tally of 31 goals and 24 assists in 133 appearances for Barcelona. And as things stand, Dembele will leave Barcelona as a free agent after the two parties reached a point of no return during contract renewal talks last month. Dembele’s situation has not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Chelsea and PSG, setting their sights on him.
Chelsea had also been heavily linked with Dembele in the January transfer window, but a move did not materialise. The Blues might need to sign a wide-attacker in the summer amid uncertainties surrounding the futures of Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, and Romelu Lukaku.
To that end, Dembele continues to be in talks with Chelsea over a possible move in the summer transfer window. But the west Londoners face stiff competition from PSG in the race to sign the Barcelona forward on a Bosman move.
PSG might need to enter the market for an attacking reinforcement in the summer transfer window as Kylian Mbappe remains heavily linked with Real Madrid. With Mbappe in a situation not too dissimilar to Dembele, PSG could benefit by signing the Barcelona contract rebel on a free transfer.
Xavi Hernandez has recently iterated that he wishes to see Dembele extend his stay at Barcelona. But with the relationship between the club board and the 24-year-old completely broken down, Chelsea and PSG will fancy their chances of snapping up the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.
