Revealed: Barcelona to slash Dembele's basic pay with new contract
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 3 Mar 2022 05:33 CST
- 3 min read
Barcelona still hope to strike a deal with Ousmane Dembele that would see the Frenchman extend his contract beyond this summer.
At the moment, Barcelona risk losing the tricky winger for free following the upcoming expiration of his contract in June.
Dembele remains one of the most expensive footballers in history, having joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105 million in 2017.
The Blaugrana are in a perilous financial situation currently, and the prospect of losing such an expensive player for free is at worst, catastrophic, and at best highly embarrassing.
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In the January transfer window, Dembele was told to leave the club so that even a small fee could be received.
Towards deadline day, he was linked with a move to Chelsea that didn't materialise.
In the end, he stayed at Barca, and it was speculated that he might be sent to the stands for the remainder of his contract.
However, Xavi has continually shot down those suggestions, and has indeed included Dembele in recent squads. At the weekend, he came off the bench and was superb, scoring a goal and setting up another in a victory against Athletic Bilbao.
One of the main reasons why Barca and Dembele have not come to an agreement yet is the player's reported wage demands.
In January, Sky Sports reported that Dembele’s demands stand at €43 million per year, plus a possible €7m in add ons.
A wage cut for Dembele
Not only will Dembele not receive anywhere near that amount, but Barcelona are actually planning on offering him a contract with a significant wage reduction.
According to El Chiringuito, Barcelona will offer him a basic wage of €8m which is a reduction on his current wages of €13m.
However, in every new contract Barca are handing out to players, basic wages have been reduced, with incentives being drastically improved.
Dembele's case is no different - and it is actually reported that he could be on a larger wage if he accepts the offer and hits enough bonuses.
The reason for this is that Barcelona, as well as every other club in La Liga, must adhere to new salary regulations.
The Catalan side were in breach of those regulations in the summer of 2021 which is what ultimately led to the departure of legendary player Lionel Messi.
