Joan Laporta begins to lose patience with Ousmane Dembélé, reveal Mundo Deportivo and ASH. The Barcelona president is reportedly annoyed that the winger is not taking the negotiations to extend the contract until 2022 seriously. Laporta thinks Dembele is behind the scenes working on a strategy to exchange Barcelona transfer-free for another club next year.
According to the above-mentioned newspapers, Laporta wants clarity from Dembélé shortly after the European Championship. Should he decide not to renew his contract at the Camp Nou, the winger will be placed on the transfer list by the president. Laporta thinks that Dembele can still generate a nice transfer amount, money that Barcelona can use in these economically difficult times, it sounds from Spain. Despite the problems, the chairman remains hopeful for an extension of the partnership with the winger, whom he ranks among his favorite Barcelona players.
Laporta will therefore continue to work on a new contract for Dembélé for the time being, which, according to Mundo Deportivo will have to settle for a salary cut. However, if that does not happen, an interim departure of the Frenchman seems inevitable. Spanish media believe that Dembele has already spoken to Juventus, although the Italian powerhouse has not yet made a first offer in Barcelona. Dembélé recently indicated that he would like to remain connected to the Catalans.
The 24-year-old wing attacker has been under contract with Barcelona since 2017, which has transferred a total of 147 million euros to Borussia Dortmund. His first years in Spain were marked by injuries. Under the leadership of Ronald Koeman, however, Dembélé seems to have revived. He has been playing very regularly since the arrival of the Dutch coach and closed the 2020/21 season with 11 goals and 5 assists in 44 matches in all competitions on behalf of Barcelona.
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