Barcelona or Chelsea: Ousmane Dembele to make transfer decision imminently
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 28 Jun 2022 03:30 CDT
- 3 min read
Ousmane Dembele is expected to make a decision regarding his future soon as he continues to run down his Barcelona contract.
Dembele, 25, joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal in 2017 and will hence become a free agent this summer if he chooses to reject the club's offer of a new deal.
The France international, who was part of the 2018 World Cup winning squad, has expressed his desire to stay at Camp Nou, but recognises that their current offer, which was presented to him in January, if considerably lower than other options available to him.
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Chelsea are reportedly the club leading the race should Dembele opt against signing a new Barcelona contract, with Thomas Tuchel keen on the allure of being reunited with Dembele following their time at Dortmund together.
According to Foot Mercato, Dembele will make his decision imminently and he reportedly accepts that Barcelona's offer isn't as high as other options but he continues to wait for an improved proposal by the club. Dembele has reportedly been convinced that he's in Xavi's plans next year and is now waiting on Barcelona.
Furthermore, a meeting has been conducted between the club and Dembele's agent, Moussa Sissoko, but this hasn't yet resulted in an improved offer from the Blaugrana, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Dembele's representatives have, however, reportedly ruled out the possibility of their client signing a deal at Barcelona if the terms aren't improved, giving Chelsea a chance as the clock ticks towards the Frenchman becoming a free agent.
Barcelona, on the other hand, reportedly need to analyse whether they can actually offer Dembele a more luxurious package to still within Financial Fair Play compliances.
Can Barcelona afford to renew Dembele's deal?
The Spanish giants are set to add Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie on free transfers, while Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are all key targets.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong remains in talks with Manchester United, while they haven't yet found a suitor for Sergino Dest.
It remains to be seen if Barcelona can even afford to keep Dembele if they continue to pursue other targets.
