Barcelona wanted to offload Ousmane Dembélé in the final stretch of the summer window and were closing in on an agreement with Manchester United before he decided against joining the Red Devils.
On November 6th, Mundo Deportivo reported the La Liga side will consider the 23-year-old’s transfer in January, and the Old Trafford club and Juventus were named as ‘persistent suitors’.
Sport states the France international is in no hurry to sign a new deal at the Camp Nou and with a contract expiring in 2022, the Blaugrana wanted to place him on the market in the mid-season window.
Ansu Fati suffered “the injury to the meniscus in his left knee” on Saturday, and the teenager’s latest setback could change the Spanish giants’ plans with Dembélé.
However, the winger’s contract situation makes it ‘risky’ to retain until him next summer, when he will have a year left on his deal.
Barcelona have held several contacts with the former Borussia Dortmund man’s environment and ‘it seems that there is not much predisposition to listen to a renewal proposal’.
If there’s no change in the situation, the newspaper adds the World Cup winner could be tempted to leave Camp Nou as a free agent in 2022. That would be a blow for the Catalan club, who invested in excess of €100m on his signing.
Ronald Koeman’s side viewed the attacker as a ‘great option to get a strong economic injection’ through his sale.
Dembélé is expected to have more opportunities after injuries to Philippe Coutinho and Fati, but his sale could help his club raise funds. This, coupled with his contract situation, leaves him at the exit door.
Sport adds the ‘dilemma’ with regards to Dembélé is ‘great’, but ‘Barça seems predisposed to continue listening to offers from January as long as it is a pure and simple transfer’.
There are several clubs interested in the player and the report suggests any potential transfer is only possible if the wideman agrees to leave Barcelona.
If he decides not to leave in January, Sport then states the Camp Nou side will have a ‘problem’ after this season.
