La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly almost given up on keeping hold of 25-year-old French forward Ousmane Dembele beyond the summer.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s hopes of keeping hold of Ousmane Dembele beyond the summer transfer window are fading. The Catalan giants believe the 25-year-old forward is 95 per cent out of the Camp Nou exit door, but there is a final meeting this week to resolve his future.
Ousmane Dembele has enjoyed his most fruitful campaign as a Barcelona player in 2021/22. While the French international missed a chunk of the season due to injuries, he ended 2021/22 as the player with more assists than anyone else in La Liga this season (13) despite playing only 21 games.
It is worth noting that Dembele won the Barcelona fans over despite becoming the pantomime villain due to his long-dragging talks with the Blaugrana. At one point, director of football had announced that Barcelona would not offer the 25-year-old forward another contract after reaching a point of no return in negotiations.
But Dembele’s game-changing performances prompted Barcelona to reopen contract talks, with the Catalan giants recently increasing their offer. But there is still some distance between Dembele’s demands and Barcelona’s proposal, meaning his future remains up in the air.
At the same time, Dembele has been heavily linked with several high profile clubs across Europe, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly prioritising signing him in the summer transfer window. Many clubs in the Premier League are also interested in the 25-year-old French forward.
Meanwhile, recent reports had claimed that Barcelona remained hopeful of keeping hold of the player beyond the summer transfer window. But according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s hopes of retaining Dembele’s signature are fading, with the Catalan club reckoning he is 95 per cent out of Camp Nou.
However, Barcelona and Dembele will meet this week for one final round of negotiations, with the French international’s representatives set to present their acceptable offer. It will be interesting to see if the situation changes drastically or if the 25-year-old’s stint at FC Barcelona ends in the summer transfer window with him leaving as a free agent.
