Report: London rivals want £212k-p/w Spurs target who ‘frightens’ Messi

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Chelsea could reportedly make a move for reported Tottenham target Ousmane Dembele, who could leave Barcelona in 2022.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Spurs’ London rivals have the financial muscle to make a move for the French international. Dembele earns a reported £212,000-a-week, and Chelsea have the means to match or even surpass this salary for the attacker.

Moreover, Dembele’s best season came under Thomas Tuchel during their time together at Borussia Dortmund. The winger bagged ten goals and 21 assists for the Bundesliga giants in the 2016/17 season, prompting Barcelona to sign the winger to replace Neymar in the summer of 2017.

Indeed, injuries and a lack of impressive performances will see Dembele’s time at Barcelona come to an end next year. And according to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham want to sign the winger in 2022, along with a host of English sides.

Newcastle and Manchester United are also reportedly keen on the attacker, whilst Liverpool have had a long-reported interest in Dembele. However, with Chelsea now in the mix, there’s a chance that Tuchel’s presence could see the Blues win the race.

With Tottenham eager to make that next step under Antonio Conte, a player of Dembele’s quality would be perfect for the squad. However, given his wages and issues with Barcelona in recent years, missing out on the 24-year-old could be a blessing in disguise for the north London side.

Spurs should allow Chelsea to chase Dembele as Conte signs better and cheaper targets

There’s no denying that at one point Dembele looked like the next big thing at football. But a disastrous spell with Barcelona has all but ruined the Frenchman’s glorious purpose in the sport, and Spurs can do better than the winger.

Indeed, the right club and manager could bring the best out of the former Dortmund star, with Lionel Messi labelling the winger as ‘frighting’ as per GiveMeSport. But for Spurs, the risk is simply too great on Dembele given his profile and reported wage.

With that in mind, Conte and Fabio Paratici should be keeping their eyes open for players who have played better in the past 12 months than Dembele as well as names who can come to north London on a cheaper salary.