Tottenham have ‘taken a step’ towards signing Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele via director of football Fabio Paratici.
That’s according to SuperDeporte, who cover the Frenchman today as his contract situation rumbles on.
The forward is out of contract in the summer, and Barcelona have been working hard for months to try and convince him to sign an extension.
That is yet to happen, though, and the situation is becoming ‘more complicated’ with each passing day as the January transfer window looms closer.
Dembele will be free to talk to clubs at that point regarding a free transfer in the summer, and there is a line of clubs willing to talk about a deal.
The focus has been on finding an agreement with Barcelona, but they are offering less than what has been put on the table elsewhere, and despite the entire club putting the pressure on, Dembele has not been swayed.
He will stay if certain economic conditions are met but what he wants is far from what Barcelona are willing to offer.
That opens the door for his suitors, and his agent has been ‘auctioning’ his client out for the past few months.
He knows he has the ‘upper hand’ because the big clubs consider him one of the ‘big bargains’ of the summer.
In that regard, the English clubs involved have ‘made progress,’ and both Chelsea and Tottenham have ‘taken a step’ through their respective directors of football.
The big competition is coming from Juventus, who are also ‘in the bidding’ and could use Italian taxation to their advantage to pay him a wage that his other suitors cannot match.
Barcelona have also not ruled out PSG making a move, meaning Tottenham could be faced with even more competition as the race for Dembele’s signature heats up.
