Dembele must sign new Barca deal this month, confirms Xavi
Stefan Bienkowski
- 22 Jan 2022 10:50 CST
- 5 min read
Barcelona manager Xavi has left the door open for Ousmane Dembele to stay at the club, if he agrees to sign a new contract before the end of the January transfer window.
The French winger’s future at the Catalan side was thrown into chaos this week, when Barca’s sporting director Mateu Alemany stated that Dembele had no intention of renewing his contract and would have to be sold before the end of the month.
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Dembele then punched back with his own statement on Instagram, claiming that he was still committed to the team and would not bow to pressure or “blackmail” from the club bosses.
Indeed, with the player’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, it remains unlikely that Dembele will be a Barca player next season unless something drastically changes.
However, when speaking to reporters on Saturday ahead of his team’s clash with Alaves in La Liga, Xavi didn’t entire dismiss the idea of Dembele having a change of heart.
“There’s no debate. I’ve been very clear. It depends on him,” said Xavi in reference to Dembele needing to sign a contract extension.
“Ousmane’s situation hasn’t changed. He knows perfectly well what his situation is. He is calm, he is training well and he is part of our training group. There are still days left but there’s no alternative.”
Will Dembele sign a new contract?
Whether Dembele is willing to agree to Barca’s demands will likely come down to which clubs are trying to entice the player away from the Spanish side.
Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich have all been heavily linked with a move for the winger.
However, while it may seem quite feasible to see him playing for Thomas Tuchel’s side, a move to Bayern seems far more unlikely.
As such, Barca fans may have to just wait and see what happens with Dembele’s contract and hope a compromise is found before the end of the month.
