"I hope with all my heart" - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang comments on 24-year-old Barcelona forward's situation at the club
Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stated that he hopes teammate and "little brother" Ousmane Dembele stays on at the Nou Camp.
Dembele's current contract expires in the summer. While there have been isolated rumors about progress on a new deal, nothing concrete has emerged in the news as of yet. As things stand, the 24-year-old looks set to exit the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Aubameyang, who spent a season with Dembele at Borussia Dortmund, has indicated his desire to see the latter continue with the Blaugrana. He said after the club's 3-1 victory against Celta Vigo on 10 May (as quoted by Barca Blaugranes):
“He’s my little brother. We have spent a long time together since the first day. When I arrived in Dortmund, I knew him a bit. With time we have built up this relationship which is like a brother.”
Aubameyang: I hope with all my heart that Dembele stays at Barcelona barcablaugranes.com/barcelona-la-l…
The Gabonese forward went on to add:
“I love him a lot and that’s why things go so well. I’m happy for him, I don’t know if he’ll stay or not but I hope with all my heart that he will.”
As per Express.co.uk, Manchester United offered Dembele a deal worth between €10 million and €15 million last month. Paris Saint-Germain were also reported to be interested in the player.
Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang star as Barcelona beat Celta Vigo 3-1
Dembele has no doubt found a new gear since the arrival of Xavi Hernandez at the helm of Barcelona. The winger has been at his creative best and displayed that once again on Tuesday during the Blaugrana's home victory against Celta Vigo in La Liga.
Dembele jinked past two defenders and went on a delightful run before laying out the assist for Memphis Depay to open the scoring in the 30th minute. Aubameyang doubled the Catalans' lead 11 minutes later, sweeping home from a Celta error.
Three minutes into the second half, Dembele went on another good run on the right flank before squaring it for Aubameyang to score Barcelona's third. It was the Frenchman's 13th assist of the league season, putting him at the top of the charts. Notably, all of those assists have come during Xavi's tenure at the club.
After two assists in Barcelona's win against Celta Vigo, Ousmane Dembélé leads La Liga in assists with 13 this season 🎁
He's missed 16 games 🤯 https://t.co/AHb9JuNwJq
Celta got a brief respite when Iago Aspas made it 3-1 in the 50th minute. However, Jeison Murillo's sending-off seven minutes later effectively ended their hopes of getting back into the game.
The win put Barcelona, who are second in La Liga, seven points clear of third-placed Sevilla.