Barcelona fear Ousmane Dembele could ‘destabilise’ their squad if the reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target stays at the club after rejecting a new contract, according to Sport.
Dembele is now in the final six-months of his existing deal after talks over renewing broke down earlier this week. Foot Mercato claim the winger demanded an annual wage of €40m (£644k-a/w) before tax, along with a €40m (£33.5m) signing-on bonus in order to stay put.
The 24-year-old believes he is worth the salary as he is the future of Barcelona, despite his injury-plagued career. He also feels the Catalan giants have the funds available given their pursuit of Erling Haaland. They also paid Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann similar.
Barcelona studying Dembele options after U-turn
Barcelona are now considering their options for how to handle Dembele’s future following his U-turn over a new contract. Only last week Sport claimed the Frenchman was set to put pen to paper in the coming days. He was firm in believing his future was at the Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana are studying possibly granting Dembele permission to leave the club as soon as January, among their options. They fear the forward could ‘destabilise’ the squad should he stay past the winter market, given his imminent summer separation.
However, Barcelona believe Dembele is unlikely to accept a January transfer to leave at the end of his contract. Juventus would also have an agreement in principle with the winger on personal terms for a Bosman deal in June. He is also waiting for Paris Saint-Germain to bid.
Tottenham pursuit faces further hurdles for Dembele transfer
Juventus are among the sides most actively pursuing Dembele over recent weeks. But he is holding out for Paris Saint-Germain to show interest in order to reunite with Lionel Messi.
Dembele’s decision to reject a new contract with Barcelona had opened a window for Tottenham to target a transfer, too. TuttoMercatoWEB noted last week that the £97m winger is Fabio Paratici’s ‘dream’ option to strengthen Antonio Conte’s attack next month.
Paratici has also been in regular contact with Dembele’s representative ahead of the winter sales starting. So, the €10m-a-season (£161k-a/w) forward’s U-turn should appear enticing.
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