Ousmane Dembélé will no longer be a Barcelona player from next season, president Joan Laporta ruled on Wednesday. According to the president, everything has been done behind the scenes to extend the expiring contract of the French attacker, but without the desired result. Laporta hinted at a press meeting on Tuesday that he suspects Dembele of having already signed a contract with another club.
Laporta speaks clearly on Wednesday at the official presentation of Adama Traoré as a new player at the Camp Nou. “Ousmane Dembele will not be here next season. I have the feeling that he has already reached an agreement with another club, so I can’t imagine he will still wear the Barcelona shirt next season.” Then focus on the coming months. “Of course Xavi will determine whether Dembélé will play this season or not,” Laporta explains to the Catalans’ coach.
Disappointed Laporta does not understand Dembélé and from suspicion
The chairman also made himself clear about the attacker on Tuesday.
The Barcelona board has been working on a new deal for Dembele for a long time. “Our contract proposal to Ousmane Dembélé expired on December 20. If he still wants to negotiate a new contract, then other conditions will be attached to it. We negotiated for months, but the demands Ousmane put on the table were simply not in our favour. to will.” The attacker was named to both Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in January, but a final deal with Barcelona never got off the ground.
Laporta prefers to invest his time and energy in players like Traoré, who is seen as the future successor to Dembélé. “The rental deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers includes a purchase option (an optional €30 million, ed.) and we plan to lift it this summer. It is now up to him to show his qualities. In any case, made a great sacrifice to be able to play at Barcelona.”
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Traoré is delighted to be returning to Barcelona, where he was also active as a youth player between 2004 and 2015. “Barcelona has always been my home and sometimes you have to make the choice to come home. I am very happy with it and can’t wait to get started with my fellow players. I want to bring joy and happy memories to the fans. I know the club well, because I was here 11 years before.” The asset knows what Xavi expects of him. “He sees in me a winger, someone who has to make a difference in the vanguard.”
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