"He won't be here next season" - Laporta says it will be difficult for Dembele to play for Barcelona again but admits it's Xavi decision
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said it is up to head coach Xavi to see if Ousmane Dembele would play for the club again.
The Frenchman was asked to leave in January after failing to agree a new deal, leaving his future at the Camp Nou in limbo.
Arsenal and PSG were heavily linked with him but no deal was struck even on deadline day, so he ended up staying. The 24-year-old now faces an uphill battle to secure regular game time until the end of the season, when his contract finally expires.
Xavi originally wanted to keep Dembele as part of his ongoing club rebuilding process but later issued him an ultimatum to leave Camp Nou if an extension wasn't signed.
The Spaniard even proceeded to drop Dembele from his Copa del Rey squad to face Athletic Bilbao before leaving him out of their La Liga squad to face Alaves.
#FCB
Barcelona president Joan Laporta: “Ousmane Dembélé won’t be here next season, I feel he has an agreement with another club - so it’s gonna be difficult to see him playing again with Barça”. 🚨 #FCB
“Of course Xavi will decide wheather Dembélé will play again or not this season”. https://t.co/FJVUtVQR2W
It's perhaps an indication that Xavi no longer sees Dembele in his plans. However, when Laporta was pressed about this, he seemed rather coy, but affirmed he won't be at the club beyond this summer.
"Ousmane Dembélé won’t be here next season, I feel he has an agreement with another club - so it's gonna be difficult to see him playing again with Barça.
"Of course Xavi will decide whether Dembélé will play again or not this season."
Xavi ready to engage with Barcelona outcast
Latest reports say Xavi is still open to discussions with Dembele. Spanish news outlet Sport has claimed that he's ready to give the player a few days to think before engaging in further talks.
Barcelona are set to meet Atletico Madrid in a crunch league clash on Sunday and the manager hopes to have a word with the former Borussia Dortmund man before that.
Xavi wants to impose his criteria as a coach and count on Dembélé if he sees it necessary. The Frenchman will be treated like one more player in the squad. Neither Laporta nor Alemany will decide the player's minutes.
— @ellarguero https://t.co/hL5vZaV89g
Signed for a staggering €105 million in 2017, Dembele's time at Barcelona has been marred by injuries, missing 102 games since then.
While his performances on the field have been mixed, the Frenchman has scored 31 goals and provided 23 assists in 129 games, although the jury is still out.
There's a sense that he hasn't been able to fulfill the potential that was originally expected of him at the time of the transfer.