Barcelona aren’t thrilled over Ousmane Dembele’s situation.
There’s anger at the club and Thursday’s edition of Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo explains the Frenchman has ‘again’ refused to leave Barca in a summer window. During the 2019 market, what happened with Manchester United this time then happened with PSG.
Barcelona had expected the player’s departure, especially their manager Ronald Koeman. His idea had been to see Dembele go to Manchester United, and then use the room on the club’s wage bill to recruit Memphis Depay from Lyon.
Koeman even went public with his idea just before deadline, saying he wanted Depay but needed a player to leave first. The Dutchman doesn’t consider Dembele essential, and that’s been evident in his team choices so far.
However, Mundo explain Dembele either didn’t get the message or turned a deaf ear to what he was being told. He didn’t want to go on loan to Manchester United and didn’t want to extend his contract with Barcelona.
Those in charge at the Camp Nou believe Dembele is already ‘looking for another destination’ in 2021 or even as a free transfer in 2022. That would give him an advantageous situation due to his contract, and Juventus is already being pushed forward as an option.
Even this season, Barca aren’t thrilled to have Dembele. Mundo say he has ‘little tactical understanding of the game’, doesn’t contribute enough defensively and isn’t ready to sacrifice himself for the team. Off the field issues, such as punctuality, just make the situation worse.