Barcelona eyeing up Ousmane Dembele replacement
Karan Tejwani
- 31 Oct 2022 11:55 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona entered lengthy negotiations for Ousmane Dembele over the summer period to get him to extend his contract and they were successful in keeping hold of him.
Dembele has become a key part of Barcelona’s team under Xavi and the manager was adamant on keeping hold of him for the long run.
However, they only managed to convince him for a two-year stay and his contract is set to run out in 2024, with Barcelona actively working to get him to extend his deal.
READ: Barcelona already want to offer Dembele a new contract
They have a plan in place in case they are unable to get him to agree to an extension and are identifying other targets in that case.
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Barcelona eye replacement for Dembele
Barcelona will look to sell Dembele next year if they are unable to agree to a contract extension, in a bid to avoid losing him for a free in the year after, like they nearly did this year.
As a result, they’ve eyed up an alternative in case he does leave the club – they are looking at Villarreal’s Nicolas Jackson, the 21-year-old who has impressed with the Yellow Submarine.
READ: Xavi's 'dream' front three at Barcelona revealed
So far this season, Jackson has impressed, scoring two goals and providing three assists in 11 appearances for Villarreal and he has grown in the first-team.
Beyond just talent and potential for the future, Jackson is also out of contract at the end of the season, meaning Barcelona could land him on a free if they wish at the end of the season.
Nicolas Jackson's last 10 days:
☑️winning goal against Austria Wien
☑️assist against Osasuna
☑️winning goal against Almeria
Great time for the 21-year-old Villarreal attacking midfielder! 🟡🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/F6d4RNyGoR— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) October 23, 2022
Signing on a free is not strange to Barcelona – they’ve signed the likes of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers, and are eyeing more talent for future transfer windows.
Other than Barcelona, there is also interest from Aston Villa, where Unai Emery is the manager and is looking to reunite with his former player at Villa Park.
