Barcelona are reportedly set to table an improved offer worth €110 million to land Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Spanish publication Sport have reported that Barcelona are set to lodge what they hope will be their final bid before securing the services of Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The report further adds that the player is desperate to seal his switch to Camp Nou.
Dembele has enjoyed a sensational rise to prominence over the last twelve months, rejecting Barcelona before signing for Borussia Dortmund last summer, where he enjoyed a scintillating debut campaign.
The player has established himself as a vital component in the Bundesliga club’s first-team setup, having bagged 10 goals and 21 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions last season. Suffice to say, he has well and truly justified the tag of being one of the most promising young players in the world.
The successful campaign with Dortmund has also resulted in Dembele attracting widespread interest from a host of top clubs for the second consecutive summer. But while the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid were briefly linked with the player in recent months, Barcelona have been the favourites to sign him.
Ousmane Dembele: “Barcelona are an amazing club, every player would like to play there. It’s a pleasure to see myself linked with a move.” pic.twitter.com/SlOqJXndKr
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) August 5, 2017
The Blaugrana are scrambling to find a replacement for Neymar following his shock move to PSG earlier this month. The Brazilian’s departure leaves Ernesto Valverde with Arda Turan, Gerard Deulofeu and Paco Alcacer as his only options for the left side of attack, none of whom inspire much confidence.
Therefore, the Catalan club have been in hot pursuit of Dembele, whose playmaking abilities can be the perfect foil for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. In fact, widespread reports have indicated that Barcelona have agreed personal terms with the 20-year-old for a move this summer.
However, the transfer fee remains the biggest sticking point in the their pursuit of the player with Die Schwarzgelben demanding a staggering €100 million, having paid a mere €14 million to sign him from Rennes last summer.
Barcelona’s initial offer was some way off the aforementioned valuation though, with Dortmund turning down their €70 million bid. Dembele, though, is angry that the Bundesliga club are not completing their end of a verbal agreement between the two parties that would see them facilitate his move to a bigger club.
Nevertheless, the transfer could see the light of the day soon, with Barcelona set to put a €110 million bid on the table, exceeding Dortmund’s valuation of the player. It now remains to be seen if the Blaugrana’s offer is indeed accepted, paving the way for Dembele to move to Camp Nou in the coming days.
