Barcelona confirm transfer fee as Ousmane Dembele officially joins PSG
Barcelona have announced the sale of French attacker Ousmane Dembele to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for €50.4 million.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner leaves Camp Nou after an eventful six-year stay plagued by injuries and moments of brilliance. Dembele racked up 40 goals and 43 assists in 185 games across competitions for Barca since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
Dembele had one of his better campaigns at the club last year - five goals and seven assists (in 25 games) - and helped the Blaugrana win their first La Liga title in four years.
After PSG triggered Dembele's release clause, the player passed his medical in Paris on Friday, signing a five-year deal that would keep him at the Parc des Princes till 2028.
Dembele said after signing a deal with the Parisians' club (as per GOAL):
"I'm delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain and can't wait to play for my new club. I hope I can continue to grow here and make all the club's fans proud."
With Lionel Messi leaving on a free transfer and Kylian Mbappe and Neymar linked with potential exits, Dembele's arrival is paramount for new boss Luis Enrique, who seeks to break the Parisians' European drought.
When do PSG open their 2023-24 season?
The French giants begin their 2023-24 campaign at home to Lorient on Saturday (August 12) in Ligue 1.
While Enrique will look to extend the Parisians' domestic dominance despite a new-look squad, he will also seek to make a mark in the continent, where the club has endured successive Round-of-16 exits.
The Parisians are coming off a decent pre-season, beating newly promoted Le Havre 2-0 at home on July 21. They then drew goalless with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in Osaka, Japan, four days later.
Cerezo Osaka handed Enrique his first loss as the Parisians' boss, winning 3-2 in Osaka on July 28. PSG ended their preseason tour with a 2-1 loss to Inter Milan in Tokyo four days later.