Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed Ousmane Dembele’s future at the club is contingent on the Frenchman accepting Barça’s contractural conditions.
Dembele has been linked with a move to various top European top sides in recent months, and in Laporta’s own words, “is no longer a Barcelona player.”
His contract with the Catalonian side expired last week, rendering him a free agent.
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Liverpool appear out of the race having signed Mo Salah to a record-breaking new contract, but Chelsea and PSG are still monitoring his situation.
Laporta insists a future for Dembele at Barcelona isn’t out of the question.
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Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he explained that if “[Dembele] accepts our conditions, Dembele will stay at Barcelona.”
However, as has often been the case at Barcelona in recent years, the “issue is economic.”
In all likelihood, whether Dembele stays at Barça is contingent on how significant of a wage cut he is willing to take.
Despite consistently seeming to be on the brink of bankruptcy, Barcelona have found some money from somewhere.
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The dire financial conditions at the club haven’t prevented them from completing the signings of free agents Andreas Christensen and Frank Kessie.
Barcelona are also favourites to capture the signatures of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha this summer.
The news surrounding Dembele will be particularly frustrating for Chelsea fans.
If Barcelona keep Dembele and sign Raphinha, that’ll be two of Chelsea’s key targets snapped up by the Catalonian side.
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As for Chelsea’s alternative transfer targets, they continue to monitor Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation at Manchester United. Raheem Sterling could yet join the Blues this summer too.
PSG’s pursuit of Dembele has been complicated by Neymar’s future. With the French capital side struggling to find a suitor for the Brazilian, a move for Dembele would appear unlikely.
Regarding Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp is now content with the forward options he has available to him.
With Mo Salah’s future sorted, there’ll likely be no further forward additions at Liverpool, spelling an end to speculation regarding Dembele.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona, Liverpool