Koeman confirms Barcelona want Dembele to renew his contract
Cameron Smith
- 26 Oct 2021 14:51 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has confirmed that the club want Ousmane Dembele to renew his contract and stay at the club.
According to reports, the Blaugrana are planning on offering Dembele a new deal, with his current contract set to expire in June 2022.
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The club signed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund for €105 million, plus a reported €40m in add-ons, back in 2017, but a series of lengthy injuries has ensured he's been unable to string together a full season of consistency.
But the club are keen to tie him down to a new deal according to Football Espana.
The report suggests the contract set to be offered to Dembele will be with reduced terms than the deal he signed upon moving to the Camp Nou. The French international is free to sign a pre-contract agreement in January, so Barcelona will have to act fast if they do intend on keeping hold of the winger.
What has Koeman said?
In his latest press conference, Koeman spoke about Dembele, who is currently injured after having an operation on a hamstring injury suffered at the Euros, and the future he has at the club.
The Dutchman said: "What’s most important is that we want him to stay. It’s important and he has quality.
"The objective is to renew. Another thing is, if he doesn’t want to renew, we have to speak as a club what the best way forward is.
"Still, we have not spoken of what our strategy will be if he doesn’t renew."
Dembele is still yet to make an appearance for Barcelona this season, which has meant right-back Sergino Dest has recently been filling in as a right winger.
His return is expected within the next few weeks, although an exact date is so far unknown.
Dembele scored nine goals and assisted five in 23 league and Champions League starts last season, in his first season at Barcelona without a major injury.
Since joining the club, he has suffered 12 separate injuries, totalling up to nearly 100 games missed through injury since arriving in Spain.
