Liverpool are reportedly willing to break their transfer record for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, who could be offloaded this summer.
As per a report from Spanish publication Don Balon, Barcelona could sell star attacker Ousmane Dembele in the ongoing transfer window and reigning European champions Liverpool are set to pounce on the opportunity to sign the Frenchman.
Dembele has been with Barcelona for two years now, having arrived at the club in 2017 as a direct replacement for Brazilian superstar Neymar. The French international endured an injury-riddled debut campaign at Camp Nou, but did manage to make a solid impression last season, becoming a regular in Ernesto Valverde’s side when fit and available.
However, as per the report, Barcelona could be open to the possibility of offloading Dembele. The report claims that the Catalans’ captain and star player Lionel Messi isn’t convinced enough by the Frenchman’s abilities and has been disappointed by his performances in the pre-season, so much so that he has asked the club to consider selling him.
There have been complaints over Dembele’s lack of professionalism and discipline in the past. And the fact that he maintains contact only with the French contingent of Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Antoine Griezmann is believed to be another reason why captain Messi is not pleased with the forward.
The report claims that patience is wearing thin within the squad which could prompt Barcelona to cash in on him and look to recover most of the €150 million that they spent on him, before his value depreciates. Moreover, with the La Liga champions looking to bring back Neymar, they will be in need of balancing the books, having already spent heavily on Griezmann.
This has opened up the possibility of a sale and Liverpool are believed to be interested in securing Dembele’s services. This is not the first time the European champions have been linked with a move for the World Cup winner, with the Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp being a huge admirer of his talents.
Liverpool have a solid, well-rounded squad and Klopp has hinted that there is unlikely to be any major incomings this summer. However, adding a new attacker to the squad to provide quality cover to the first-choice trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah would certainly take the squad to the next level.
To that end, a move Dembele makes a world of sense for Liverpool. And as per the report from Don Balon, the Merseyside giants are willing to pay as much as €100 million to secure the Frenchman’s signing. However, they will have to do battle with German champions Bayern Munich, who are also interested in the Barcelona star.
The 22-year-old is contracted with Barcelona till 2022, but it remains to be seen if he stays put at Camp Nou ahead of the upcoming campaign or ends up being offloaded by the La Liga champions.
