Manchester United and Juventus were regularly named as clubs interested in Ousmane Dembélé before Newcastle United were thrown into the mix in recent weeks.
The winger has just over seven months left on his contract at Barcelona and can join another club as a free agent, if the La Liga side fail to tie him down to a new deal.
Earlier this month, Xavi Hernández was appointed as Ronald Koeman’s successor and the new manager publicly stated he wants to keep the 24-year-old beyond his current deal.
Mundo Deportivo now claim Xavi’s ‘goal’ is to ‘convince’ the former Borussia Dortmund man to continue his career at the Camp Nou.
The Frenchman’s attitude in the dressing room, training sessions and matches ‘invites optimism’. He is also ‘positive and receptive’, when approached by Barca’s board members to discuss his renewal. That, however, isn’t the case when talking to his agent.
It’s claimed ‘problems always appear’ for the Catalan club as the representative ‘delays and delays’ his client’s decision. That’s partly because of the Red Devils.
The player has a ‘succulent offer from Manchester United’, which includes a ‘promise of a transfer bonus’ to both Dembélé and his agent, to arrive at Old Trafford as a free agent.
Mundo then states: ‘Given this, Barça has decided to try to convince the Frenchman that he is a special, different player, decisive in the eyes of Xavi Hernández for his new project’.
Xavi has taken it on himself to try to convince Dembélé that his ‘place is still at the Camp Nou and not at Old Trafford’.
