Ousmane Dembele is set to leave Barcelona in June 2022 after contract extension talks with the club collapsed this week.
The winger demanded a gross salary of £33.5 million along with a €16.7 million signing bonus.
The player’s agent was reportedly perplexed that their man was not being offered such lavish sums when the FC Barcelona continues to court Erling Haaland, who should cost around £64million next summer.
Given the 2018 World Cup winner has struggled to make an impact since joining from Borussia Dortmund on a £138 million deal in 2017, and has also suffered several injuries reducing playing time, the development provided a source of comedy and anger for Barca’s fans.
??
Dembelé NO RENUEVA!!
Hoy se ha roto la negociaciónhttps://t.co/vrsj4XOUJL
— Gerard Romero (@gerardromero) December 29, 2021
Alert to his situation, Juventus have agreed on an agreement in principle with the Barcelona winger, and Dembele is also meant to be waiting for an offer from PSG.
Man United are also said to be interested in acquiring the 24-year-old’s services and Arsenal have now thrown their hat into the ring too.
However things turn out, it seems that Dembele’s time at Camp Nou – one that was plagued with incidents of ill discipline, long lay-offs and attitude problems – is coming to an end.
#FCB ??
? NOTICIA SPORT
? Principio de acuerdo de Dembélé con la Juventus https://t.co/9bda62XXPE
— Diario SPORT (@sport) December 30, 2021
If Dembele does indeed head to the ‘Old Lady’ in Italy, he joins ex-teammate Arthur Melo, who was involved in a bizarre, £50 million part exchange deal for Miralem Pjanic in 2020.
Dembele’s current standpoint means that registering new signing Ferran Torres – bought for £47 million from Manchester City – has become complicated as per Financial Fair Play Rules.
Barca believes it’s compulsory to slash Dembele’s wages in order to help afford the registration of new signing Ferran Torres, who cannot be officially added to their La Liga squad under current financial circumstances.
