Premier League champions Chelsea are reportedly preparing a massive €120 million summer bid for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.
According to a report in Spanish publication Don Balon, the French winger is yet to adapt to life at Barcelona. Since arriving at Barcelona for a reported €105 million plus €40 million add-ons, Dembele has featured only 12 times in a season marred by injury.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger has already missed 31 games this season, most of which have been due to muscle injuries. As per the report, Dembele is yet to adjust to the style of football prevalent in the league as it is different to that of the Bundesliga and the Ligue 1.
Antoine Griezmann is widely expected to move to Barcelona in the summer and the report states that if Barcelona wish to sell the Dembele to make room for his compatriot, they wouldn’t be able to recover their entire investment, but the Blues’ offer comes close.
With the intense competition for places, it seems unlikely that Dembele will feature in the starting eleven on a regular basis any time soon. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez show no signs of slowing down and Paco Alcacer has also picked up his form this season.
Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic are preferred on the flanks in the current formation and Philippe Coutinho’s arrival will likely make things infinitely more difficult for the former Rennes winger. At the age of 20, it would make sense for him to move away from the club in order to play more.
Missing so many games this campaign will definitely may even impact his chances of heading to Russia with his country in the summer and that risk is something he would certainly wish to avoid in the future.
While Chelsea haven’t had the best record with handling youngsters in the recent past, they could certainly do with a player like Dembele in their ranks. Tall, fast and extremely good with the ball at his feet, he would find it easy to get used to the fast paced, physical nature of the Premier League.
Chelsea currently have only three established wingers in the form of Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard. Willian turns 30 in August while Pedro turns 31 in July. Eden Hazard’s future after the current season remains uncertain with Real Madrid said to be interested in the Belgian international.
Given his age, he would serve as a great long term acquisition for the Blues. His potential is unquestionable and he is easily one of the best young players on the planet on his day. He could grow to become one of the best in the world if he lives up to said potential but he will need to be given time to reach that level and it will be interesting to see whether bring him in as the successor to Eden Hazard this summer.
