Another Figo? Real Madrid to activate Barcelona star's release clause

Stuart Telford

• 7 May 2023 13:11 BST
• 3 min read

A generation on from Luis Figo's shock move from Barcelona to Real Madrid, los Blancos are set to pull the same stunt with Ousmane Dembele according to reports in Spain.

Figo's €62 million move across the Clasico divide in 2000 sent shockwaves around Spanish, and indeed world, football, and resulted in the player having a pig's head thrown at him on his return to Camp Nou.

Now, 23 years on, Real want to sign another talented winger from Barcelona in the shape of Dembele, according to Catalan newspaper El Nacional, with the ever-opportunistic Florentino Perez ready to pounce.

READ: Barcelona transfer list FOUR players but Dembele safe

Dembele shortlisted by Madrid

"Florentino Perez has Dembele on his list of players who could be signed next summer," they write. "He likes that the Frenchman has a fixed, affordable price and that he can give his team another level.

"[Moussa] Sissoko, Dembele's agent, is willing to negotiate with anyone and is already aware of Real Madrid's intentions."

Dembele, whose highest ETV per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm was €86.1m, has a release clause of €50m, making him a relative snip should Madrid meet that fee.

READ: Barcelona STOP contract negotiations with World Cup winner

Dembele has enjoyed a second wind at Barcelona under Xavi, having initially struggled to justify his €115m price tag when he joined as a 20-year-old from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

This season, the Frenchman had contributed five goals and as many assists from 20 games to help his side to the top of La Liga before he was sidelined by a hamstring injury in January.

Barcelona lead Real by 13 points at the top of the table in Spain, but they have been told by La Liga that they need to raise €200m if they want to compete next season.

Dembele - alongside top scorer Robert Lewandowski and European football's Golden Boys Gavi and Pedri - is understood to be one of four untouchable players as far as Xavi is concerned.

But if Real meet his release clause this summer - as with Figo 23 years ago - Barca could find themselves unable to stop their star winger from leaving for the Santiago Bernabeu.