Ousmane Dembélé’s time at FC Barcelona is coming to an end. The Frenchman’s contract expires. But he will not go in peace. Catalonia is brewing.
It sounds like déjà vu for BVB fans: On Sunday, FC Barcelona announced that Ousmane Dembélé was absent from training due to an upset stomach. The day before, coach Xavi hadn’t taken him with him for the game against Alavés. For the second time in a row, the Frenchman was not in the squad. The background is not bad performance, but a burst contract negotiation.
As reported by “Cadena Ser” and the Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, among others, Dembélé’s advisor demanded an annual salary of 40 million euros for his client in early 2022. The contract should be valid for five years. In addition, there would be a lavish earnest money for the signature. Barcelona refused.
Since then, the internal anger has been great. Dembélé’s horrendous demands have enraged club bosses given the club’s tight budget. With 31 goals and 23 assists in 129 appearances for Barça, they underestimated his value by far.
Coach Xavi is also said to have made it clear that Dembélé will no longer be nominated for the team for the time being. The club is open for a winter sale. But there are hardly any interested parties. The risk for the highly talented but also difficult 24-year-old is too great to spend such millions in Corona times.
The last hope for a change
Criticism of Dembélé’s behavior rained down from fans and ex-professionals. Hristo Stoichkov told TUDN: “Dembélé never understood Barcelona. As a foreigner, I got involved to understand how the club works. (…) If you don’t want to be at Barcelona, at least don’t soil the crest. “
But the hope of a transfer remains. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Xavi said: “Ousmane’s situation will not change. He knows the situation, he has to decide, it’s up to him. He’s calm, he’s training well, he’s one more player in the team in training. He knows his situation. We were very clear on that. There are still a few days left (until the end of the transfer window, ed.). There is no alternative.”
