Dembele makes €50m PSG move as Neymar nears Barcelona transfer
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 12 Aug 2023 11:04 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona and PSG are having their own private transfer market this summer, with Neymar and Ousmane Dembele set to be exchanged between the clubs.
The first of these deals is now completed, with Dembele having signed a five-year contract with PSG that will see €50 million depart the Parc des Princes side for the Camp Nou coffers.
The transfer of the 26-year-old has generated a great deal of controversy at Barcelona, who had seen him as an essential player to Xavi’s plans this season.
MORE: Neymar AGREES Barcelona transfer as €60m lever activated
The deal, though, was out of Barca’s control, with a clause in Dembele’s contract allowing him to depart for €50m and has now been made official.
"FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have reached an agreement for the transfer of Ousmane Dembele for €50.4m," the Catalans confirmed in a statement.
The Catalans did their best to make life awkward for the former Rennes and Borussia Dortmund winger, recalling him to Barcelona to train on Monday after a weekend spent in the French capital, but the transfer has been forced through.
MORE: PSG send Mbappe letter BEGGING him to make Real Madrid transfer
Dembele will not be available for PSG in their Ligue 1 opener against Lorient on Saturday night, but he could well feature for his new club in a trip to Coupe de France winners Toulouse next weekend.
With Lionel Messi having departed, Kylian Mbappe frozen out and Neymar close to making the reverse trip to Barcelona, Dembele will form part of an all-new PSG attacking line that also includes Marco Asensio and Goncalo Ramos.
Neymar to Barcelona latest
Neymar, meanwhile, is close to leaving PSG for Barcelona.
The Brazil international has agreed personal terms with his former club and is set to receive an annual wage of around €12-13m per year.
A transfer fee remains to be thrashed out between the teams, with this potentially a source of animosity given their strained relations in the past. However, PSG see Neymar as surplus to requirements and are ready to listen to offers set around the €60m mark.
