Ousmane Dembele has reportedly turned down Barcelona’s latest contract offer, leaving his future at Camp Nou up in the air.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Barcelona’s hopes of keeping hold of Ousmane Dembele beyond the summer transfer window might soon start fading. The French forward has rejected the latest contract renewal offer from the Blaugrana and wants to join Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Ousmane Dembele’s contract standoff with Barcelona has been one of the stories of 2022. The 25-year-old’s future at Camp Nou seemed non-existent after talks between the two parties reached a point of no return in January, with the club’s director of football, Mateu Alemany, claiming the Catalan giants were not going to offer him a renewal again.
But things took a turn for the better for Dembele, who won over Barcelona fans soon after making his first appearance for the Blaugrana following Alemany’s comments. The French international’s improved performances gave Barcelona hope of renewing terms with him.
But the looming threat of Paris Saint-Germain, who came close to signing the Barcelona forward in the January transfer window, has constantly left the Catalan giants on their toes. Recent reports had also been claiming that Barcelona had been losing hope of keeping hold of Dembele after contract talks dragged on.
? Dembélé’s agent: “Ousmane’s future remains open. We are and have always been very respectful to all clubs and this will continue to be the case while the process is ongoing”.
“When it is the right time to make a decision, Ousmane will consider the best option for his future”. pic.twitter.com/sVqmKBXSVb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 27, 2022
But there have been suggestions that PSG’s interest in Dembele has cooled, which might have raised Barcelona’s chances of keeping the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner at Camp Nou beyond the summer transfer window. But Dembele has rejected Barcelona’s latest contract renewal proposal as he wants to join PSG.
However, Dembele could be left in the lurch if PSG’s interest has ended. Meanwhile, his agent, Moussa Sissoko has claimed that the player’s future remains open, saying, “Ousmane Dembele’s future is still open and we are not going to go into endless speculation.”
“We are and have always been very respectful of all the clubs and we will continue in the same way as long as the process continues. When the time is right to make a decision, Ousmane will consider what is the best option for his future.”
It will be interesting to see what transpires in Dembele’s contract renewal saga, with just a month left for his Barcelona deal to run out. For now, the French international seems to have one foot out of the exit door at Camp Nou.
