Ousmane Dembele is reportedly considering the prospect of joining Newcastle United next summer, when he could leave Barcelona as a free agent.
According to a report by Goal, Ousmane Dembele’s contract talks with Barcelona have stalled completely. Now looking set to depart Camp Nou as a free agent next summer, the French attacker is open to the prospect of joining Newcastle United, who have offered him a €15 million-a-year five-year deal in addition to a €15 million signing-on bonus.
Ousmane Dembele arrived at Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 as a potential long-term replacement for Neymar. However, despite making a big-money move, the 24-year-old has not gone anywhere close to living up to his billing, with a myriad of injuries curtailing his progress significantly.
In fact, Dembele, who has turned out 118 times for Barcelona while garnering a tally of 30 goals and 21 assists in the process, is currently out on the sidelines as well with another long-term injury, although he is believed to be closing in on his return. However, Barcelona appear set to lose him on a free transfer amid a contract standoff between the two parties.
Such a situation has alerted several big-name clubs across Europe, with widespread reports claiming that the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are all keen on signing the Barcelona contract rebel. And the latest club to have emerged in pursuit of Dembele are Newcastle United.
The interest from Newcastle United is hardly surprising, considering they will be eager to complete a major overhaul of the squad in the two upcoming transfer windows following the big takeover from the Saudi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund.
Following the dismissal of Steve Bruce as the manager, it looks like the rebuild project is set to get underway, as the Magpies look to get closer to the top echelon of the Premier League. To that end, they have offered a €15 million-a-year five-year deal to Dembele, who would be an upgrade on just about every Newcastle player when fit and firing.
The big if around the Barcelona contract rebel will always be his fitness situation, but if he does manage to overcome his injury woes, Dembele can turn help things around for himself and Newcastle. In fact, the French international is open to joining Newcastle on a free transfer when his Barcelona contract runs out.
What now remains to be seen is if the 24-year-old does make the switch to St. James’ Park next summer or if he chooses some other project. The riches on offer could help turn his head and for now, it looks like his Barcelona stint is coming to an end.
