"There is no more room" - Joan laporta comments on the contract renewal situation of Barcelona duo
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has shared his thoughts on the contract situation of Ousmane Dembele and Gavi. The Frenchman is out of contract in the summer and is yet to renew his deal, while the Spaniard has one year left on his current deal and has not yet accepted the club's current offer.
Speaking to L'Esportiu de Catalunya, Laporta was asked about Dembele's situation at Barcelona. He said:
"They have our proposal and a date to decide, because there is no more room. We have been preparing for the next season for some time and it is an issue that we have stuck, because the agent does not respond to the offer. Looks like they're making a counter-proposal. There is a priority right now, which is to get the economy back on track . There are a lot of players that we have devices and operations that are pending this and LaLiga is not open to giving it to us. The following criteria is very restrictive."
#FCBJoan Laporta to @lesportiuCAT: "Ousmane Dembélé? They have our proposal and a date to decide. It's an issue we're stuck with, because the agent isn't responding to the offer. Looks like they're making a counter-proposal". 🔴⌛️ #FCB
"We need to get the economy back on track".
Dembele has been linked with moves to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea over the past few months, but Barcelona manager Xavi has maintained that the Frenchman is an integral part of his squad.
"He’s a player we all like" - Laporta on Barcelona star Gavi
When asked about Gavi, Laporta seemed annoyed by the player's agent's reluctancy to accept the current contract offer. He said:
"Your representative has long had the renewal offer on the table. We have no news that he has accepted it. The news we have is that he is comparing and that at some point he will have to say something. We have already stated our position and it is not currently accepted by the player's agent."
Laporta seemed to insinuate that Gavi's agent was comparing the player's current contract offer to that of other players at the club. He said:
"Yes, because we don't understand. He’s a player we all like; He is 17 years old, has a present and a great future at Barça, and we do not understand why his representative is playing and comparing. I think the club's proposal, within our salary levels, is more than acceptable. In addition, we will not go beyond these levels, because I do not want Barça to continue in the line followed by those who preceded us and who have brought Barça to ruin. We have to be judgmental, and that's what we're doing. If we have players leaving the squad, we make them a very good present and future offer and it turns out that their representative is comparing and delaying the decision; it’s understandable that I don’t like the situation. I would encourage you to accept it as soon as possible, because it also helps us plan."
Barça president Joan Laporta tells @lesportiucat: “We can’t understand why the agent of Gavi wants to delay the contract extension. We are still waiting”. 🔴 #FCB