Ronald Koeman hopes to keep the “important” Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona as the World Cup winner holds talks over a move to Newcastle United, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
If it wasn’t for yet another injury he picked up during France’s Euro 2020 campaign, Dembele probably wouldn’t be a Barcelona player right now.
A seldom-seen winger snapped up from Borussia Dortmund for a staggering £96 million four years ago, Dembele is due to become a free agent in the summer and cash-strapped Barca would surely have seized the opportunity to cash in before he entered the final 12 months of his deal.
Those hopes have gone up in smoke now, however, and offers for the injury-hit 24-year-old were few and far between before September’s transfer deadline.
It could be a different story come January, however, with Newcastle opening talks over a deal that would see Dembele become the club’s best-paid player of all time on a reported £245,000 a week (Sport).
Newcastle looking to tempt Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona
The crisis-hit La Liga giants haven’t given up just yet, however, and are determined to reach an agreement with a man who, having spent most of the past four years stuck to the treatment table, has failed to do what was expected of him – fill Neymar’s boots at Camp Nou.
“We want Ousmane Dembele to stay with us,” said the embattled Koeman, whose miserable Barca tenure hit rock bottom during Sunday’s 2-1 Clasico defeat at home to Real Madrid.
“He is an important player. Our goal is for him to renew (his contract). If he does not, we will have to react in the best possible way.”
Koeman admits Barcelona have yet to “decide our strategy in case (Dembele) doesn’t renew”. A lack of short-term contingency planning? Surely not Barcelona?
A word of warning for Newcastle. Dembele may be one of the most naturally gifted forwards in European football but getting him on the pitch has proven easier said than done in recent years.
Dembele has missed 97 games through injury since 2017 and has yet to make a single appearance in 2021/22.
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