There is still a chance that France forward Ousmane Dembele will play for La Liga giants Barcelona next season as well. Reportedly, the two sides resumed extension negotiations last week and they will make another attempt to get the contract done.
Dembele is set to become a free agent in the summer, and it was previously believed that his exit from Camp Nou is a done deal. However, the 24-year-old player rediscovered his form recently, making the Spanish club more open to keeping him around.
ESPN reports that Barca’s sporting director Mateu Alemany is currently in Marrakech, Morocco, where he is set to meet Dembele’s agent Moussa Sissoko for another round of talks. Alemany confirmed the club’s intention to keep the player a few days prior.
“For us, he can stay as long as [any agreement] remains within the club’s sustainable salary limit and is proportionate to his teammates,” Alemany told reporters over the weekend.
Barca tried to move Ousmane Dembele during the January transfer window but failed to convince the Frenchman to consider his options. This prompted head coach Xavi to remove Dembele from the first team, seemingly bringing his stint with the Catalan giants to an end.
However, with Dembele still at the club after the transfer window closed and Barca needing all help it could get, Xavi gave the player another chance in early February. This turned out to be a great decision as Dembele was a difference-maker in the six-game winning stretch Barcelona is currently riding. He scored one goal in those six games but provided eight assists.
Besides Dembele, Barcelona is working to secure long-term extensions with several other players. The list includes Spanish phenom Gavi and Uruguay center back Ronald Araujo.
