Borussia Dortmund have reportedly slapped a €100 million price tag on the highly sought-after French winger Ousmane Dembele.
According to Spanish publication Sport, Borussia Dortmund are set to demand €100 million to relinquish the services of Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman is the subject of an intense head-to-head battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Dembele has established himself as one of the most exciting young prospects in world football in the last couple of seasons, particularly impressing with his playmaking abilities. This past season, the player was an integral figure for Dortmund, making 49 appearances in all competitions, with a remarkable record of 10 goals and 21 assists.
Thus, it has been no surprise to see his stock skyrocketing, and Dembele has become one of the most highly sought-after players in the transfer market this summer, with some of the biggest clubs in the world vying for his signature. The front-runners in his pursuit, though, are Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The current transfer window has been nothing short of a disaster for Barcelona, who have failed to land any of their top targets thus far. Additionally, things have taken a turn for the worse following Neymar’s shock move to PSG earlier this week.
Ousmane Dembélé for @BVB in the Bundesliga last season:
Most take-ons (103)
Most chances created (63)
Most assists (12)Already a star. ? pic.twitter.com/tm9Q2RJkPf
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 1, 2017
The Brazilian’s exit has left Ernesto Valverde with a serious shortage in quality upfront. And it is his playmaking abilities, in particular, that will be missed dearly by Barcelona, which is perhaps why they have now rekindled their interest in Dembele.
Meanwhile, at Real Madrid, Gareth Bale is being heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, which could send Zinedine Zidane scrambling for a replacement.
The Real Madrid boss has already gone on record to state that he is in the market for an attacking player, and a move for Dembele could be in the offing. Los Blancos, though, could have a sizable task on their hands in pursuit of the 20-year-old, with widespread reports suggesting that Barcelona have agreed personal terms with him.
The aforementioned development indicates that Dembele has had a change of heart of late, having previously claimed that he is not looking to leave Dortmund. The Catalan club are now set to lodge a formal offer for the player, although they will have to match the Bundesliga club’s asking price of €100 million.
It now remains to be seen if Barcelona shell out the aforementioned amount. Additionally, it will also be interesting to see if Real Madrid can manage to steal a march on their bitter rivals for the player. The battle to sign Dembele, though, is heating up as we approach the final days of the transfer window.
