Ousmane Dembele has broken his silence amid links with him and a move to Chelsea once he leaves Barcelona this summer.
The 25-year-old is set to move away from the Nou Camp in the coming weeks when his contract expires, having originally joined in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund.
His departure means clubs will be able to sign him on a free transfer ahead of next season, with Chelsea being one of the sides interested in such a signing.
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Dembele has already worked under Thomas Tuchel, with the duo spending a season together at Dortmund before they both left five years ago.
However as clubs enter the summer transfer window and questions are still being raised over where he will play next season, the winger has broken his silence amid his links to Chelsea.
The Frenchman was spotted in public in a video via Actualite-Barca during the week and was quizzed about his future ahead of the new campaign.
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He was asked if he was staying in Barcelona, in which he replied with confirmation that he will remain in the Spanish city.
When the links with him and Chelsea were raised, the 25-year-old said very little about the rumours and repeated that he was staying for the time being when asked about working with Tuchel again.
Reports on Friday revealed that the winger is waiting until after his holiday before he makes a decision on his future amid his pending departure from his current club.
Due to previously working with the Blues boss, there is a belief that Chelsea could have an advantage in the race for the attacker this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain also being linked with a move for Dembele.
The German manager is ‘convinced’ that he will be able to get the best out of the player should he make the switch to Stamford Bridge, having seen him amass 31 goal contributions during the 2016/17 season at Dortmund.
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Chelsea are also believed to be ‘growing confidence’ in their pursuit for Dembele as they begin their preparations for next season in the hopes of challenging for the Premier League title.
Romelu Lukaku could be set to depart the club in the summer with a move back to Inter Milan being lined up after just one season back at Stamford Bridge.
A traditional loan was originally discussed but this is now believed to be unlikely, with Chelsea more keen on a swap deal.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona, Premier League, La Liga
