Bayern Munich wanted to sign Ousmane Dembele, but negotiated with the wrong agent
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were interested in signing Ousmane Dembele this summer, but missed out on signing the French wonderkid due to negotiating with the wrong agent. Dembele, who was wanted by giant clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid as well, ended up signing with Borussia Dortmund.
Ironically, Dembele made his debut for the Schwarzgelben against Bayern Munich, coming on in a 2-0 defeat in the DFL Supercup. The Frenchman could have been lining up in red for Bayern though, if not for a huge error on Bayern’s part.
Also Read : Top 20 Bundesliga players in FIFA 17
According to a report in German publication SportBild, Bayern’s technical director, Michael Reschke contacted Dembele’s former agent Badou Sambague and opened negotiations in 2015. However, Demebele had already moved on to his current agent, Marco Kirdemir by then, and Dortmund capitalised on the error, signing him on a five year deal.
Dembele explained his reasoning for joining Dortmund when he joined, saying :
“Dortmund tried very hard to sign me and always kept very close contact. I was impressed.”
That statement is rather ironic in light of Bayern’s misguided attempts to sign the Frenchman.
Dembele is already lighting up the Bundesliga
Ousmane Dembele broke out in Ligue 1 with a stunner of a season last year, racking up 12 goals and 5 assists for Rennes, starting off a bidding war among giant clubs throughout the world, with Dortmund ultimately triumphing after parting with €15 million for his services.
Dembele is already on his way to repaying that figure, appearing in 5 out of 6 games Dortmund have played this season, scoring a goal and notching up two assists. His performance against Mainz left defender Leon Balugun singing his praises:
“This Dembele kid is unbelievable. I said during the game to Aubameyang: 'Woah! What kid did you buy there?' He's freaking amazing, unbelievable. I don't know how old he is - 18, 19? He's so calm, very skillful, his speed is unbelievable. So congrats to Dortmund for getting that kind of player. I think they will have a lot of fun with him. He has a great future ahead.”
Dembele’s meteoric rise has also been noted by his national team, leading to a first call up for France.
For more articles like this and all news related to the wide world of football, please click here.