Barcelona have reportedly agreed a €150 million deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Ousmane Dembele in the coming days.
According to a report by German publication Bild, Ousmane Dembele is set to finally complete his move to Barcelona. The Catalan club have agreed a staggering €150 million deal with Borussia Dortmund to make the Frenchman their third signing of the summer.
Dembele shot into the limelight over the last couple of seasons, having established himself as one of the most exciting young prospects in the world. And it was the 2016-17 season in particular when the player saw his stock skyrocketing, following a highly impressive maiden campaign with Dortmund.
The Frenchman quickly established himself as an instrumental figure for the Bundesliga club, making 49 appearances across all competitions for Thomas Tuchel’s side, with a superb return of 10 goals and 21 assists to show for his efforts.
Suffice to say, the 20-year-old has been one of the most highly sought-after players in the world this summer, with some of the biggest clubs in the world hot on his tails. However, Barcelona have been in the player’s pursuit for well over a year now, and now look set to finally land him.
Welcome to FC Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele.
— Lionel Messi (@piqu3sident) August 24, 2017
Neymar’s shock move to PSG earlier this month left the Blaugrana scrambling to find a replacement with only a few weeks left for the transfer window to close, with the likes of Arda Turan, Paco Alcacer and Gerard Deulofeu the only other remaining options to fill the Brazilian’s void.
While Turan looks set to depart from Camp Nou as well, Alcacer has failed to stamp his authority at the club thus far, while Deulofeu is only expected to be a squad player, despite an impressive showing in his second coming last week.
Thus, Ernesto Valverde has been eyeing Dembele, who can be the ideal foil for Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi with his playmaking abilities. And while Dortmund had been standing firm on their stance on him, their hand seem to have been forced after the player went on strike.
It now looks like the biggest sticking point in a possible deal is finally out of the way, with the report claiming that Barcelona have agreed a €150 million deal with Die Schwarzgelben. The aforementioned figure includes an initial €120 million fee plus €30 million in bonuses.
The move is now set to be completed by the weekend, with the report suggesting that an official announcement could be made as early as Friday. Thus, another long drawn out transfer saga looks destined to be completed, with Barcelona finally landing one of their primary targets this summer.
