Reports: Barcelona not prepared to sell Ousmane Dembele in January
According to Sport, Barcelona are not prepared to let go of Ousmane Dembele in January due to the long-term injury recently suffered by Ansu Fati, although the club is afraid of losing him on a free transfer.
Ousmane Dembele has been heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona in recent months. The 23-year-old winger was reportedly close to a move to Manchester United in the summer but decided to stay at the Catalan club and fight for his place.
Manchester United had reportedly offered to take Dembele on loan, although Barcelona were only looking to sell him permanently. The two clubs were believed to have reached an agreement over the player's transfer, only for the Frenchman to reject the deal at the last moment.
Dembele has also been linked with a move to Juventus in recent weeks, but it now seems likely that he will stay put in Barcelona.
The France international arrived at Barcelona for €130 million in 2017 and has since failed to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he first joined the club.
Dembele has shown glimpses of his abilities in his three years at Camp Nou but recurrent injuries and disciplinary issues have halted his development and have significantly reduced his playing time for Barcelona.
Ansu Fati's long-term injury may force Barcelona to keep hold of Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele has, however, put his injury woes behind him and has had a strong start to the 2020-21 campaign. Barcelona were reportedly intent on selling Dembele in order to raise funds for a move for Lyon attacker, Memphis Depay.
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is reportedly desperate to bring fellow Dutchman Memphis Depay to the club but will have to sell players to raise funds and create space in the squad.
The Catalan giants appear to have changed their transfer plans as they are now keen on keeping Ousmane Dembele, especially in the wake of the long-term injury suffered by Ansu Fati last week.
Dembele's defensive contributions and tactical discipline has come into question in recent weeks but Ronald Koeman has maintained that he is a crucial member of the Barcelona squad.
The former Dortmund man has only a year-and-a-half remaining on his current deal with Barcelona. The club will, therefore, be looking to either extend it or sell him before he enters the final year of his contract.