Barcelona want to sign star tipped as the 'new Dembele' valued at €75m – Reports
According to El Nacional, Barcelona are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi for €75 million. The German youngster has drawn comparisons with French World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele with his performances for the Bundesliga side.
Dembele was signed from Dortmund by Barca in 2017 for €147 million as a replacement for Neymar Jr., who left the Blaugrana for Paris Saint-Germain. While the talent was always evident, Dembele suffered with injuries during the early days of his career at the Camp Nou.
The French superstar has re-established himself as a crucial player for the Blaugrana under Xavi. His current contract, however, is set to run out at the end of the 2023-24 season. Dembele has a release clause of only €50 million in his contract.
With Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati failing to impress, the Catalan club have started exploring the market in search of a potential replacement.
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Adeyemi has emerged as a top target for Barcelona. The 21-year-old winger has been an important player for Dortmund this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 24 appearances for the 'Black and Yellow.'
Barca was previously linked with a move for Adeyemi when he used to play for Red Bull Salzburg. While they could have landed the highly touted prospect for a much lesser fee at that point in time, the Blaugrana will need to spend around €75 million if they are to sign Adeyemi in the near future.
Barcelona manager Xavi spoke ahead of the clash against Valencia
Barcelona are set to take on Valencia in their last LaLiga game. With a win at Camp Nou, Xavi's team will keep up their seven-point lead over defending champions Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table.
Speaking ahead of the crucial match, the Barca manager gave his assessment of Valencia as opponents. Xavi said (via Barca Universal):
“We expect a Valencia that’ll defend well. They have gained in aggressiveness and intensity and we hope to be more dominant, create more scoring chances and it’s clear that we have to win. It is another final for us. It’s very important to win against Valencia. We want to go 10 points clear before the Real Madrid match.”
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Barcelona vs. Valencia will start in just over an hour. The Catalan club currently have 59 points on the board from 23 league matches.