Liverpool and Newcastle United are interested in a transfer for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele. And the Frenchman has now come in for lavish praise from a rival La Liga player.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and his Toon counterpart Eddie Howe have already turned an eye to the summer sales. The Anfield and St James’ Park natives are eager to strengthen their respective teams in the off-season. So, that could offer Dembele a Premier League switch.
That is according to Calciomercato.it, which claimed recently that a transfer for Barcelona forward Dembele interests Liverpool and Newcastle. The Merseyside and Tyneside outfits could also trigger the release clause in the Frenchman’s contract at Camp Nou until 2024.
Barcelona boss Xavi is reluctant to lose the 25-year-old, though. So, Mundo Deportivo has also reported that the Blaugrana intend to discuss a new contract with the winger’s agent, Moussa Sissoko. They also want to work fast as his release clause is cheaper from August.
Dembele agreed to include a €100m (£89m) clause in his contract when the winger signed new terms last July. But it drops to €50m (£45m) this summer and interests many Premier League sides. He is on transfer radars for scoring eight and assisting seven goals this term.
Ruibal hails Dembele as Liverpool and Newcastle eye the Barcelona star’s transfer
Dembele has offered five of his goals and five assists over 18 La Liga appearances so far this season. He featured in 28 of the Blaugrana’s fixtures across all competitions before the 35-cap forward suffered a thigh injury. Xavi has been without his Frenchman since January.
The rectus femoris injury should only sideline the France dynamo for around a month. But it should also keep him from facing Manchester United in the second leg of the Camp Nou outfit’s Europa League knockout round play-off. They drew 2-2 in Catalunya this Thursday.
Before the blow, Dembele was playing at a very high level for Barcelona to attract interest from Liverpool and Newcastle in a transfer. The winger’s work in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final with Real Betis also left a huge impression on defender Aitor Ruibal this January.
Ruibal has now lauded Dembele as the toughest opponent he has played yet in his career. He believes the Frenchman posed a tougher challenge in their meeting than when he met Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. The right-back has faced Dembele and Vinicius four times yet.
“The striker I’ve had the worst time against? With Dembele in the Super Cup,” Ruibal told Mundo Deportivo. “For me, he’s the number one in one-on-ones. He has a reputation for being irregular but he can leave anyone.
“He’s fast, skilful and can go anywhere. The only thing that can happen is that you don’t have a good day. For me, apart from Vinicius – who is also a great player – Dembele is the one with whom I’ve had the worst time.”
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