Barcelona bosses 'starting to panic' about transfer
Tom Weber
- 29 Jul 2023 13:55 BST
- 3 min read
FC Barcelona bosses are 'starting to panic' about the prospect of losing Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain, according to French media.
The French giants are long-time admirers of the Blaugrana winger and their interest has become increasingly concrete in recent weeks. Particularly enticing is the fact that Dembele has a release clause - active until the end of July - of just €50 million.
In 2017, Barcelona had paid a then-club record €135m to land the Borussia Dortmund star, but recurring injury problems have seen his stock diminish. However, when his current release clause expires, a new one, worth €100m, will be activated, according to Fabrizio Romano.
READ: Creative machine: Why Man City and Chelsea are desperate for Olise
With only a few days left in July, PSG are ready to step up their Dembele pursuit. While the Frenchman has previously been said to be keen on remaining at Barcelona - he even rejected a big-money approach from Al-Hilal - club bosses are now beginning to worry about a potential departure.
PSG 'on the offensive'
According to Footmercato, PSG are going "on the offensive" in their bid to sign the attacker. The French outlet even goes so far as to claim that "according to our information, the 26-year-old will indeed sign with PSG this summer."
They assert that personal terms have been agreed on a five-year contract and that the Parisians will activate his release clause. Barcelona sporting director Deco has been desperate to renew Dembele's contract since at least the beginning of June, but now it appears that it is too late.
READ: Zlatan was RIGHT! Ibrahimovic predicted Mbappe’s PSG demise precisely
Head coach Xavi has a great relationship with Dembele, but that won't be enough to keep him at the club, according to the above-mentioned report. Dembele will become part of a new-look PSG side that is more focused on discipline rather than 'flash' in light of the Kylian Mbappe drama.
