Report: Club fear £212k-a-week star wants to leave, amid Newcastle talks with agent

Follow us on Google Discover

Barcelona have left Ousmane Dembele out of their squad to face Rayo Vallecano and are not afraid to banish the winger, per Marca, amid transfer interest from Newcastle United.

Ronald Koeman has omitted the Frenchman from the Blaugrana side for Wednesday’s La Liga trip to the Estadio de Vallecas. Barcelona announced their travelling 22 on Tuesday, with Dembele left in Catalunya while he recovers from a hamstring injury in his right leg.

But Koeman may be without Dembele for a lot longer if he continues to refuse Barcelona’s new contract offers. The forward only has eight-months left on his £212k-a-week deal at the Camp Nou. Although the Blaugrana remain confident that he will commit his future.

If Dembele decides against renewing, Barcelona are not afraid to ostracise the reported Newcastle target from their squad, however. The club fear he will drag negotiations over new terms on until his current deal expires to leave for free.

Barcelona will set Dembele a January deadline to decide if he wants to stay at the Camp Nou or not. On the table is a new three-year deal running to 2025, and President Joan Laporta is ready to get involved to try and overcome the impasse with his representatives.

Newcastle will likely be paying close attention to Dembele’s on-going contract stand-off with Barcelona. Sport reported earlier this week that the Blaugrana are aware the Toon and Juventus are speaking with the forward’s agent.

Will Dembele leave Barcelona for Newcastle?

Koeman has shared he hopes Dembele will ignore potential transfers to clubs like Juventus and Newcastle to stay at Barcelona. The Dutch coach also confirmed the Blaugrana have discussed how they will deal with the 2018 World Cup winner if he does not renew.

“We want him to stay with us. He has a different quality than other footballers and the goal is for him to renew,” He said, via Marca. Adding: “We still think that it can be renewed. Not yet. We have talked about the strategy to follow if he does not do so.”

Barcelona will surely be loath to lose Dembele for free, even if they are prepared to banish the forward, so could look to sell to Newcastle in the upcoming January transfer window when their deadline for a new contract strikes and he must decide whether he wants to go.