Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele prioritises staying at Barcelona this summer but “not at any price” as he is not satisfied with the latest contract extension offer, according to L’Equipe....CONTINUE READING
The 25-year-old has just a few days left in his contract at Camp Nou, and he will soon have to make a decision.
L’Equipe claims that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has recently made a phone call in an attempt to convince Dembele to stay at the club.
The winger’s summer exit initially looked inevitable with Barcelona refusing to improve their offer and looking for possible replacements, but the situation may have changed, the report adds.
One of the replacement candidates on Barcelona’s shortlist is Raphinha, for whom Leeds United are reportedly asking for nearly €70million (roughly £60m) which is far above what the Spanish club is willing to spend.
As a result, Barcelona now reportedly consider keeping Dembele a priority.
The report mentions that the winger himself prefers staying at Barcelona, but remains adamant about his contract demands.
He reportedly wants a new deal worth €18m (£15.5m – almost £300,000-a-week) net annually, more than what Barcelona are offering.
L’Equipe claims that for the time being, the two parties have yet to reach an agreement, and although this could change in the next few days, there are two other clubs interested in signing the France international; Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
The figure Dembele is reportedly looking for is obviously huge, even for PSG and Chelsea, but considering that no transfer fees would be involved, it could prove to be a relatively cheaper deal than other alternatives.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, in particular, is very keen on a reunion with the former Borussia Dortmund star, according to Sky Germany.
