"There was and is nothing" - Barcelona star dismisses rumors of PSG move
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele has rubbished claims linking him to a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Dembele missed a major chunk of the 2022-23 season due to a hamstring injury. He made 35 appearances across competitions, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists.
With his contract expiring next year, some reports claimed that Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing the French winger this summer. Dembele, however, has claimed that there have been no talks with the French club at all.
“I don't know why there’s been so much talk about PSG but trust me, there was and is nothing with PSG," Dembele told Marca.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Dembele's contract with Barcelona, which expires in 2024, has a release clause worth €50 million. The clause will be active in July but both the player and the club want to extend his stay at the Camp Nou.
Dembele, 26, joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund for a big fee of €105 million. However, due to constant injury issues and poor form, he failed to make an impact at the club until Xavi was appointed manager in November 2021.
Under the Spaniard, the French winger has scored 10 goals and provided 22 assists in 66 appearances across competitions.
As per Romano, Barcelona are also preparing a new contract for Dembele.
Ousmane Dembele on Barcelona's UEFA Champions League hopes next season
Barcelona have won five UEFA Champions League titles throughout their history, with the last one coming in the 2014-15 season. However, their record since then has been abysmal.
The farthest they reached in the competition since then was the semi-final in the 2018-19 season, where they lost against the eventual champions Liverpool.
In the past two seasons, Barca have even failed to make it out of the group stages of the competition. They were relegated to the Europa League, reaching the semi-finals in the 2021-22 season and being eliminated in the Round of 16 playoffs last season.
The Blaugrana won the La Liga title last season and now will hope to improve their performances in the Champions League. Ousmane Dembele commented on the same in an interview, saying (via fcbarcelona.com):
“Everyone wants to win the Champions League again because we haven't achieved it for many years. I hope everything goes well in Europe next season."
He added:
"The Champions League does not forgive and if you make a mistake, you are out. You always have to be very focused. This is so. But we're still very excited about the Champions League and we'll see what happens next season.”
Barcelona won just two of their six group-stage games last season in the Champions League. They then lost 4-3 on aggregate against Manchester United in the Europa League knockout playoffs.