Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG among clubs to have contacted Barcelona contract-rebel's agent - Reports
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele is all set to leave the club next summer, with several top sides around Europe showing interest.
The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the 2021-22 season and has refused to pen a new deal.
Dembele's agent Moussa Sissoko believes the player is a potential Ballon d'Or winner and demanded €40 million gross salary per season and €20 million in renewal bonuses.
However, those figures were rejected by Joan Laporta. This caused the contract negotiations between Dembele and Barcelona to break down, with Dembele refusing to take a pay cut.
🚨 Info : Ousmane Dembélé 🇫🇷 ne prolongera à #Barcelone, comme l'a rapporté @gerardromero.
• Le #PSG, #Chelsea, Manchester United, le #Bayern, #Newcastle ont tous contacté son agent Moussa Sissoko 🇫🇷.
• Sissoko 🇫🇷 a réclamé au Barça 40M€ de salaire bruts et 40M€ de prime. https://t.co/50NXUziPbC
He hasn't been able to hit the heights that was touted to when he arrived on a massive €105 million transfer in 2017.
The 24-year-old's time at the Camp Nou has been riddled with injuries ever since, missing nearly 50% of their games.
Yet that hasn't dissuaded some big guns from pursuing the star, with Chelsea, Manchester United, PSG and Bayern Munich all contacting Sissoko.
In today’s meeting, Ousmane Dembélé and his agents have asked for a 40m gross salary per season and 20m signing bonus to stay at Barcelona.
— @gerardromero https://t.co/UARZWIX6YZ
As Dembele's contract ends next summer, he's free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs starting on January 1, 2022.
The race for his signature is already heating up.
Xavi's optimism about Dembele's Barcelona stay is fading
Barcelona manager Xavi wanted Dembele to stay and become part of the team rebuilding process. He also sounded optimistic about it, calling it "fundamental" to renew his contract.
But that optimism is waning fast. Dembele's refusal to slash his wages is also a stumbling block in registering Ferran Torres. Recently signed from Manchester City, the Spaniard cannot be added to Barcelona's squad under the current financial rules of La Liga.
In such a case, the Catalans would have no choice but to listen to offers for the Frenchman, which he has no shortage of.
But his hefty wage demands, despite Dembele being highly injury-prone, could still be a problem in reaching a deal.
Either way, he doesn't seem to have a long-term future at Barcelona, and Xavi may have to look towards Torres in helping him rebuild this tattered club.