Mbappe’s role in Dembele’s Barcelona exit revealed

Robin Bairner

• 3 Aug 2023 13:27 BST
• 3 min read

Ousmane Dembele is set to complete a transfer from Barcelona to PSG in the days ahead, with the threat of being part of a three-man swap for Kylian Mbappe part of the reason he wants to go.

Dembele will depart Camp Nou for the French capital, with the Catalan side receiving €50 million in return due to a clause in the player’s contract that allows him to leave for that figure.

Xavi did not want to lose the France international winger and during a meeting with the 26-year-old learned the surprising reasons the ex-Dortmund star pushed to leave, according to journalist Javi Miguel Club of AS.

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“I want to continue and win titles, but in a healthy environment. Here, people are always treating me very badly,” he is reported to have told the Barcelona head coach.

Moreover, he had heard rumours that he was to be offered to PSG in a swap deal that also involved Raphinha and Gavi. Barcelona wanted to find a way to push to sign Mbappe, who is in dispute with the Ligue 1 champions and liable to leave for Real Madrid this summer or next – a bad scenario for the Blaugrana.

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Given Xavi’s opinion of these players, it would have been a surprising transfer for the Catalans to make – even in return for a player of Mbappe’s calibre.

The Barca coach considers Gavi as one of his untouchable players – a class that he had also put Dembele into before he started forcing his way out of the club. Similarly, Raphinha only arrived from Leeds a year ago and it is expected that he will be given another season to impress after a modest beginning.

Dembele sale no disaster for Barca

Dembele, meanwhile, could prove to be dispensable for Barca. Though an important contributor when fit, his time at the club since moving from Dortmund has been riddled with injury problems. He has regularly spent long spells on the sidelines.

In addition, the transfer means that Barcelona might have some money to spend this summer. They have had issues raising funds as their fringe players have not attracted significant interest.

On top of this, Xavi has a plethora of good options out wide, including Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Raphinha, as well as the highly promising Lamine Yamal.