Thomas Tuchel wants Bayern Munich to sign Barcelona player deemed untouchable by the La Liga club - Reports
Thomas Tuchel could reportedly try and convince Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele to join him at Bayern Munich.
The German tactician was installed as the Bavarian giants' new boss after Julian Nagelsmann's surprise sacking on 24 March. Before receiving the call from Bayern, he was a free agent after being sacked by Chelsea in September.
According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, Tuchel could push for a move to sign Dembele in the near future. Barcelona currently view the player as untouchable but can't do much about his future if he doesn't pen an extension soon.
The France international's current deal runs until the summer of 2024 and is said to have a release clause of €50 million inserted into it. He has registered eight goals and seven assists in 28 games across competitions this term.
Dembele is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the 1-0 league win against Girona on 28 January. Bayern Munich, meanwhile, have no shortage of quality wingers, with Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman all on their books.
Mane and Gnabry have also played as centre-forwards if and when required to fill the void left by Robert Lewandowski's departure to Barcelona last summer. A move for Dembele, nevertheless, could still seem enticing due to the player's age profile and world-class ability.
What Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has said about Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele
Thomas Tuchel and Ousmane Dembele spent the 2016/17 season together at Borussia Dortmund, where the Frenchman registered 10 goals and 21 assists in 49 games across competitions.
Tuchel was sacked by the club in May 2017 following a strained relationship with the board (h/t the Guardian). Dembele left the Westfalenstadion approximately three months later to join Barcelona for a fee of €105 million.
After a spell at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the German tactician joined Chelsea in January 2021. Twelve months later, the Blues were linked with a winter move for Dembele.
During that time, Tuchel was asked to give his opinion on the Barcelona winger, to which he replied (h/t Eurosport):
"He’s a very good player, and I am very fortunate to have trained him in my time at Dortmund. It was only one year, it should have been longer, but I needed to leave and he decided to leave."
He added:
"We are not in close contact, we have met here and there because of his duties for the French national team when I was in Paris. We exchanged some messages."
Chelsea ended the winter transfer window in 2022 without making any signings but recalled winger Kenedy from his loan spell at Flamengo.