Barcelona transfer ‘a matter of time’, Romano claims
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 2 Aug 2023 07:57 BST
- 4 min read
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says it is only a “matter of time” before Ousmane Dembele completes his transfer to PSG.
Dembele’s departure seemed to grow a little more inevitable on Tuesday, when he was not part of the Barcelona squad that defeated Milan 1-0 in a friendly encounter in Las Vegas. Ansu Fati scored the Catalans’ goal.
The winger had previously been seen as indispensable to Xavi’s squad, underlining that fact by scoring the winning goal in the 3-0 destruction of Real Madrid in El Clasico on a matter of days beforehand.
MORE: Barcelona turn attention to Chelsea flop as Dembele replacement
Dembele, though, was not on the team sheet at all for Barcelona’s latest US exhibition match as reports that he will move to PSG continue to escalate.
“Ousmane Dembele was not even on the bench tonight vs AC Milan,” Romano tweeted.
“His transfer to PSG is only a matter of time.”
MORE: Guardiola to BATTLE Barcelona for long-time Liverpool target
Ousmane Dembélé, not even on the bench tonight vs AC Milan. ⛔️🇫🇷
His transfer to PSG, matter of time. pic.twitter.com/ZunyGJFjsU— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2023
PSG and Barcelona in Dembele transfer talks
This echoes the belief in France that Dembele will sign for the Ligue 1 champions, who look increasingly resigned to seeing Kylian Mbappe depart this summer or next.
L’Equipe reports: “Barring a huge turnaround, Ousmane Dembele will be a PSG player by the end of the week.”
PSG are racing to complete a deal that will allow them to sign the 26-year-old for €50 million in what has proven to be a dramatic transfer scramble.
It had previously been believed that Dembele’s €50m release clause would double on 1 August, but there is a subtly in the way that his contract is worded that extends this by a week. This relates to the fact that this part of the contract relates directly to Barcelona and not to the Spanish League.
L’Equipe reports that the “transfer is in very little doubt” but that PSG and Barcelona are discussing the possibility of agreeing a deal that does not involve the release clause being triggered. This surrounds payment methods, such as the number of instalments that will be paid. The transfer fee will remain €50m.
If Barcelona cannot come to an agreement with PSG, the release clause will be triggered and Dembele will become their player, which is expected by Sunday.
