Premier League club enter race to sign Barcelona forward: Reports
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele is attracting transfer interest from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo. The 24-year-old has also been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool.
Dembele joined Barcelona from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105m in 2017. However, niggling injuries and inconsistent performances have limited the Frenchman's impact at Camp Nou.
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Having struggled to achieve his full potential so far, Dembele now has a decision to make regarding his future at Barcelona. He is currently in the final seven months of his contract with the Catalans.
It has been claimed that Dembele is leaning towards putting pen to paper on a fresh deal with Barcelona. Xavi's side, though, are yet to reach an agreement with the player's agent.
While Barcelona look to convince Dembele to sign a new contract, other clubs have taken note of the situation in Catalonia. Premier League sides Manchester United and Newcastle have been credited with an interest in the forward.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham have become the latest English club to join the race for Dembele. The north London giants have identified the Barcelona star as an ideal candidate to strengthen their squad.
Spurs are said to have approached Dembele with a big-money offer in an attempt to lure him to London. The English club are also prepared to make the former Borussia Dortmund star a key member of their team.
Tottenham's managing director of football Fabio Paratici previously tried signing Dembele for his former club Juventus. The Italian is now looking to help Spurs manager Antonio Conte bolster his ranks by acquiring the forward's services.
Barcelona keen to retain Ousmane Dembele's services
Ousmane Dembele appears to have several options in the Premier League should he decide to leave Barcelona. The Catalans, though, are determined to retain the France international's services beyond next summer.
According to reports, Barcelona are aware Dembele would like to extend his contract with them. However, Dembele's representative Moussa Sissoko is said to be keen to secure a transfer for his client.
There are suggestions that Sissoko is holding off negotiations until January so that the forward can also have talks with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement.
Barça president Laporta: “I like Ousmane Dembélé, for me it’s clear: he’s better than Kylian Mbappé. He wants to stay and we want him to stay here”, he told @tv3cat. 🇫🇷 #FCB
“It’s about his agents bringing proposals to the player, we want to show him it’s not just about money”.