Dembélé stays in Barcelona. He will not play, coach Xavi is clear

Ousmane Dembélé is staying at Barcelona until the end of the season. He will not play, coach Xavi has clearly declared. He will only train and watch matches from the stands. What have been the last days and weeks regarding the contract extension or Dembélé’s departure from Barcelona.

The fact that Barcelona is drowning in financial problems is already known to every football fan. Under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, there was no problem with megalomaniacal transfers. One such was the arrival of Dembélé for 105 million euros (2.5 billion crowns) from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017.

In 2020, Barcelona president Laporta took over and immediately set to work to put the coffers in order. In order to sign new reinforcements, he had to negotiate salary cuts with a lot of players. By getting the nod for a reduction from stopper Samuel Umtiti, the club was able to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City.

But when Dembélé’s name came up, he still had no idea how many sleepless nights it would cost him. After all, the French striker is out of contract in the summer and the club find it unacceptable that he would leave for free. Coach Xavi started to build him up after his injury, letting him know that he was counting on him for the future.

But then came the meeting where another contract and a pay cut was to be agreed, as with other players. But Dembélé told the club that he considers himself a world-class player and wants to be paid accordingly. The offer of a reduced salary has hurt him.

“Ousmane came for huge money, he takes a big salary. We wanted to extend with him, only he asked for a higher salary,” Laporta said. And so Barcelona’s response was clear. Either accept a lower salary or look for a new deal.

Dembélé’s agent then made it clear that his client would not sign a new contract. Laporta thus offered the player on the transfer list, he would be willing to take an offer of around 20 million euros. Teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham and Arsenal immediately showed interest.

On the last transfer deadline day, Dembélé was in Paris, as local Saint-Germain were considering signing him at the last minute. PSG and Barcelona were in talks about a swap, but no deal was reached.

“We think Ousmane has an agreement with another club for the summer. That’s how the agent presented it to us. We don’t know what he thinks, but we will act in the interest of the club,” Laporta said resolutely, adding that he will not play and will only train and watch games from the stands.

Source: Deník Sport