Barcelona 'must find a solution for Dembele' - Alemany
Martin Macdonald
- 13 Jan 2022 02:58 CST
- 3 min read
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele must decide soon whether or not he wants to stay at Camp Nou, according to club director Mateu Alemany.
The Frenchman has been at the club since 2017 following his gargantuan €105 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund, but injury and form issues have meant that he has been unable to match the expectations set by that price tag.
Though he remains a valued member of the squad at Barcelona, with head coach Xavi even proclaiming his belief that Dembele could become the best player in the world in his position, the club are running the risk of losing him for free in the summer.
Dembele's contract runs out in June, and despite negotiations happening for well over six months, it appears at the moment that the player and club are not close to any kind of resolution.
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Should the winger ultimately decide his future lies elsewhere, then Barcelona will likely attempt to sell him in the January transfer window in order to receive some kind of money back for the player they spent big on in 2017.
Alemany insists a decision must come from Dembele this month.
“The situation hasn’t changed with Dembélé,” Alemany told Sport.
“He knows very well what the club thinks. He has out offer on the table and he knows that we should resolve this situation quickly.
“We hope that it can be for the good and he stays with us because he is an important player and there will be updates soon.”
Further signings at Barca?
Barcelona are currently in a terrible state financially but that still didn't stop them from completing the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City in a deal worth up to €65m.
They have managed to afford that deal due to the low payment up front to City, while Torres has only been registered thanks to the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa and Samuel Umtiti accepting a pay cut.
Further salary reductions or player departures will need to happen before any new players arrive, but Alemany hasn't ruled out more signings this month.
"There is a [financial] fair play issue. We are attentive to the market and to see what can happen in the coming weeks," he said.
Barcelona faced Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday and lost 3-2 in extra-time, with Torres making his debut.
