Xavi spoke on Tuesday about the future of Ousmane Dembélé at Barcelona. The coach hopes the 24-year-old winger will put in “a lot of effort” before making a decision on whether or not to renew his contract with the club. Dembele would be in the explicit interest of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus and is warned by his trainer for a hasty decision.
“I’ve already told him,” Xavi said at the press conference the day before the Copa del Rey match against Linares Deportivo. “The ball is in his court. The situation couldn’t be better for him, let’s see what he decides.” The trainer is referring to Dembélé’s excellent negotiating position. If the Frenchman extends his contract, it means that the remaining part of his transfer fee (Dembele came over from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a total amount of 140 million euros) can be spread over the extra contract years. In the event of a transfer-free departure, Barcelona must transfer the remaining amount to Germany in one go, which the club cannot use in the current financial crisis.
Sport: ‘Transfer-free departure Dembélé in the making after a surprising agreement in principle’
Dembele would already have an agreement in principle about a transfer-free departure to Juventus, Sport reported last Thursday.
Xavi advises Dembélé to ‘think very carefully about himself and his future’. “I hope he puts a little effort into his decision. I’m calm and waiting for an update. It doesn’t depend on me, but on the club and on him.” According to Spanish reports, a new five-year contract is ready for Dembélé, but Barça does not want to meet his salary requirements, which would be 40 million euros and a signing premium of 20 million euros. His environment also considers a new club desirable, so that he can develop better. According to them, Dembélé’s talent never fully matured at the Camp Nou, partly because he struggled to adapt to the lifestyle in Spain.
According to , Dembélé is Mundo Deportivo Seen by PSG as a ‘very interesting asset’ due to his talent, age and the fact that he is French. Sport However, reported last Thursday that the attacker already has an agreement in principle with Juventus and will leave for Turin after this season on a free transfer. The Frenchman continues to screen with two lucrative offers from the Premier League, Fabrizio Romano knows. Reportedly, these are Newcastle United and Manchester United, the latter of which is said to have a player swap with Anthony Martial in mind. Dembele has so far made 126 appearances for Barcelona, in which he managed to produce 30 goals and 23 assists.
Related
More sports news