Ousmane Dembele will reportedly take a 40% pay cut to stay at FC Barcelona this summer despite late interest from Liverpool in the France international.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the winger will take a huge salary decrease to stay in Catalonia, seemingly bringing an end to one of football’s longest transfer sagas and one that will see Dembele remain in Barcelona for the upcoming seasons.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has been strongly linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer, with Liverpool one of many clubs interested in signing Dembele along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham. However, Dembele will now stay with Barcelona.
The decision is perhaps not too surprising. Dembele was given a starring role under Xavi Hernandez at the turn of the year where the attacker played arguably his best football ever for Barcelona, with the attacker registering the most assists in La Liga last season despite not claiming his first one until late December.
Indeed, Xavi has become the first Barcelona manager to finally get a tune out of Dembele, and with the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski set to join the Catalan giants, the 25-year-old could be set for another starring role for the UEFA Champions League side if he can remain fit.
However, for Liverpool, missing out on Dembele will come across as a huge blow for Jurgen Klopp’s side, especially when you consider that the Reds could have benefited from a creative winger following the departure of superstar attacker Sadio Mane.
Dembele staying with Barcelona is a fitting end to an overdrawn saga
It might be an underwhelming conclusion, but there’s something fitting about Dembele deciding to keep on at the La Liga giants despite all the rumours and speculation swirling around the France international over the last 12 months.
Whilst the winger would have been a brilliant addition to the Premier League and to Liverpool, it finally looks like Dembele will begin to shine for Barcelona in the coming years following this contract update, with many fans hopeful that the forward can stay healthy enough to finally hit his true potential.
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