Revealed: Why PSG passed up the chance to sign Dembele
FT Desk
- 18 Sept 2022 11:27 BST
- 3 min read
Ousmane Dembele was briefly a free agent this summer, and the winger was linked with a return to his native France with PSG before re-signing for Barcelona.
Dembele was understood to be exploring his options, with Chelsea also mooted as a possible destination for the talented winger.
In the end, nobody bit, though, and Dembele extended his stay at Camp Nou for another two years - taking a €1 million a year basic wage cut in the process, on a deal which has a release clause nearly €50m less than the one he signed in 2017.
Ousmane Dembele, that is ridiculous! 🤯pic.twitter.com/t8n4S48V6s
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) July 27, 2022
PSG have made an impressive start to their season, meanwhile, new coach Christophe Galtier implementing a 3-4-1-2 system to get the best out of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Sporting director Luis Campos - officially a "Football Advisor" at PSG - explained why Paris ultimately didn't go for Dembele.
Campos: 'I like Dembele a lot…'
"I like Dembele a lot," he told Jerome Rothen on the former PSG midfielder's new show on RMC. "[But] his favourite position is on the left, and with that, we break our puzzle. Our attacking triangle is upside down.
"Mbappe is at the high point, and the other two are in support. We don't play with wingers. It was perhaps a mistake of the past to take great players who play in the same position."
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Dembele has impressed at Camp Nou this season, with two goals in four assists in all competitions, and Barca coach Xavi recently compared him favourably to Neymar.
"He's happy, enjoying himself, content, he's important for me, for the group," he said. "He makes the difference, assists, scores, he is a knife in the opponent's side and he's in a good moment.
"I don't want to shower him in praise but the capacity he has in one-on-ones is at the level of the best Neymar. But he has to be bolder, shoot at goal more and score."
