"Doing an FM save with them" - Fans react hilariously as Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele is pictured with Sunderland owner at the Stadium of Light
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele was spotted watching Sunderland play against Sheffield United in the Championship on Wednesday night (March 15), leaving the Twitterati all sorts of confused.
Dembele, whose contract expires in June 2024, has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Sunderland’s sternest rivals, Newcastle United, have all been credited with an interest in the Barcelona winger.
Considering Newcastle United are one of Dembele’s potential suitors, fans have found the 25-year-old’s decision to watch Sunderland in action rather amusing.
A couple of fans claimed that the France international was in it for Football Manager.
"He's doing a FM save with em," one fan tweeted.
"I think its cuz he did a crazy FM save with Sunderland," the other account wrote.
@mariEscobarPAWG He's doing a FM save with em
@mariEscobarPAWG I think its cuz he did a crazy FM save with Sunderland
One speculated that maybe Dembele was interested in investing.
"Maybe he’s trying to invest in one of the teams," the user wrote.
@mariEscobarPAWG Maybe he’s trying to invest in one of the teams
Another simply dropped an image of a polar bear out of his natural habitat, hinting that Dembele did not know where he was.
@mariEscobarPAWG https://t.co/8rzlxrGVyi
According to GOAL, though, the reason for the Barcelona star’s visit is rather straightforward. The former Borussia Dortmund man is friends with Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, the man he sat next to on Wednesday. Louis-Dreyfus, 25, is a majority stakeholder at Sunderland and also owns a portion of Ligue 1 giants Marseille.
Unfortunately, Dembele could not see his friend’s team win at the Stadium of Light. They squandered a 1-0 lead to fall to a 2-1 defeat against the Blades in the Championship.
Barcelona could have to pay €20 million in loan fee to bring desirable right-back
La Liga leaders Barcelona are interested in signing Manchester City ace Joao Cancelo, as per Spanish outlet SPORT. The Portugal international is currently on loan at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, who can make the stay permanent for a €70 million fee.
According to the aforementioned report, however, the Bavarians will not pay such a steep premium, meaning Cancelo is set to return to City this summer. Due to his difficult relationship with Pep Guardiola, Cancelo is unlikely to remain at the Etihad Stadium next season. Barcelona want to capitalize on the situation by signing him on a season-long loan.
City, however, will not let him go for cheap and might demand a steep €20 million loan fee for the Portuguese. Coupled with Cancelo’s wages, even a loan move would be financially infeasible for the Blaugrana.
It has been claimed that Cancelo’s agent Jorge Mendes is currently trying to convince City to lower the loan fee. Barca feel that City’s resolve could weaken with the passage of time. The Catalans also need Cancelo to lower his wage demands, which is a tricky affair.
Ultimately, it could boil down to Xavi, whether or not he manages to sell the Barca project to the experienced right-back.