Barcelona and Laporta still want Dembele to stay
FT Desk
- Updated: 1 Mar 2022 09:10 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that an offer is still on the table for Ousmane Dembele and he hopes the France winger will stay at the club.
Dembele hit the headlines on Sunday evening after a stunning cameo performance in the 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
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The wideman came on as a substitute in the closing stages of the game to score a brilliant individual goal and then provide two assists for Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay.
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What did Laporta say about Dembele?
“Dembélé knows our proposal and we always wanted him to stay,” Laporta told reporters on Monday.
“We hope that at the end of the season he will reconsider his decision.”
Laporta was, of course, referring to the chaotic contract situation regarding Dembele.
Dembele’s contract at Camp Nou expires at the end of June and he has rejected all offers of a renewal.
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Barcelona and Laporta had been very keen for the winger to renew, however negotiations collapsed at the turn of the year as Dembele became unhappy that the club were offering him a contract at much-reduced wages while at the same time signing Ferran Torres from Man City for €55 million plus €10m in add-ons.
Barcelona, on the other hand, 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 the key figures at Barcelona deteriorated badly from then on, with Barcelona doing everything to pressure him into either signing a new contract or leaving in January.
There were even reports that Barcelona were prepared to freeze Dembele out of the squad for the rest of the season if he didn’t leave, or even take him to court.
In the end, Dembele stayed put and he has been reintegrated into the team in recent games.
The player has been fiercely booed by Barcelona fans but manager Xavi insists that he is acting professionally and will continue to play.
It remains to be seen if Dembele will change his decision, with a whole host of top European clubs – including PSG – interested in signing him on a Bosman.
