Dembele tells teammates he wants to stay at Barcelona

FT Desk

• Updated: 31 Mar 2022 12:31 BST
• 3 min read

Ousmane Dembele has changed his mind and now wants to sign a new contract at Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Dembele seemed almost certain to leave this summer when his contract expires, having spectacularly fallen out with the club this year.

However, Mundo Deportivo claim that Dembele is now extremely happy playing under manager Xavi, who has led Barcelona to a brilliant 12-game unbeaten run.

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Dembele has told the Barcelona dressing room that he wants to stay, providing he can come to an economic agreement with president Joan Laporta over a new contract.

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The winger has been in inspired form during this time, linking up superbly with January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The pair combined to lead Barca to a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Clasico a fortnight ago.

Until now, Dembele has rejected all offers of a renewal.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta had been very keen for the winger to pen a new deal. However, negotiations collapsed at the start of 2022 as Dembele was unhappy about the club offering him a paycut while spending €55 million plus €10m in add-ons for new buy Ferran Torres.

Barca, meanwhile, complained that Dembele was asking for too much money, with reports that he demanded €240m in order to sign a new contract at Barcelona.

The relationship between Dembele and Barcelona then deteriorated, with the club trying to push him into either signing a new contract or leaving in January.

In the end, Dembele stayed put and he has been reintegrated into the team over the several weeks.

Laporta has made it clear that he won’t raise the contract offer to Dembele, so whether or not the 24-year-old will accept the current offer could be key in whether or not he does actually stay.