The hamstring injury that Ousmane Dembélé sustained in the European Championship match with France against Hungary (1-1) turns out to be more serious than expected. According to various Spanish media, the 24-year-old winger has been sidelined for at least three months. A major blow through the account of Barcelona, which Dembele would have preferred to sell in view of his contract expiring next year.
Dembélé came in against Hungary in the 57th minute and had to be replaced thirty minutes later. It soon became clear that the European Championship was over for the attacker, who was initially expected to have a rehabilitation period of three weeks. However, a new diagnosis indicates that Dembélé will probably need three months to return. With that, he misses the complete preparation and the first month of the season in Spain.
A huge downer for Barcelona, which hopes to say goodbye to Dembélé in the summer. According to , the Frenchman has TV3 informed that he will not renew his commitment expiring in mid-2022, but Mundo Deportivo states on Tuesday that Dembélé may be changed by his injury. Barça paid no less than 135 million euros for Dembele four years ago and hoped to recoup at least part of that amount. The attacker has been offered in various exchange constructions in vain in recent times. The chance that possibly interested clubs still want to attract Dembélé after his new muscle injury, seems very small.
Clubs will be hesitant to bring in Dembélé anyway, given his long history with serious muscle injuries. The Frenchman tore his hamstring several times in his four seasons at Barcelona and missed a total of 86 games due to injuries. Despite this, he made 118 official appearances for Barca, producing 30 goals and 21 assists. Dembele is not the only injured player Barcelona is trying to sell: Philippe Coutinho, who is recovering from a serious knee injury, is also forced to leave.
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