Ousmane Dembele's wages at PSG come to light ahead of Barcelona departure – Reports
Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele is reportedly set to receive a huge salary boost after completing a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Dembele, 26, has emerged as a major summer outgoing at Camp Nou of late. He has reached a verbal agreement to join the Ligue 1 giants on a five-year contract, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
According to Le Parisien, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is close to joining Luis Enrique's outfit in the coming days. He is set to receive €20 million-per-season, a sum more than double his current salary.
PSG, meanwhile, are currently locked in talks with Xavi Hernandez's team about a potential reduction of the Frenchman's current €100 million exit clause. They failed to activate the Stade Rennais youth product's previous €50 million release clause before the end of July.
Speaking at a pre-season press conference, Xavi confirmed that Dembele is set to depart Barcelona this month. He said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"Dembele has told us that he wants to leave and join PSG. We can't compete, PSG bid is huge and out of the market — he spoke to Luis Enrique and Nasser Al Khelaifi. It hurts me because we took care of him to make him happy here. But we can't compete, he's leaving."
Dembele, who is in the final year of his contract, has cemented himself as a crucial starter at Camp Nou since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a permanent switch worth around €140 million in 2017. He has lifted seven trophies for them, including three La Liga titles so far.
So far, Dembele has featured in 185 matches for Barcelona over the course of six campaigns, scoring 40 goals and contributing 43 assists. However, he has started just 112 matches due to a host of injuries.
Barcelona earmark attacker as replacement for PSG-linked forward Ousmane Dembele
According to Fichajes, Barcelona have identified Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix as a potential successor to Ousmane Dembele. They are believed to be interested in luring the Portuguese attacker on a season-long loan transfer with an obligation to purchase next summer.
Should the 31-cap Portugal international join the Blaugrana, he could prove to be a brilliant signing for them. He would provide competition to Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres on both left and right flanks.
Since joining Atletico from Benfica for a fee of €126 million in 2019, the Portuguese forward has helped them lift a La Liga title. He has scored 34 goals and provided 18 assists in 131 appearances for his team so far.