Ousmane Dembele’s future at Barcelona is reportedly hanging in the balance after yet another injury-laden campaign.
According to AS, Ousmane Dembele’s days at Barcelona could be numbered as the winger’s struggles continue. His fitness problems since joining Borussia Dortmund have already been well documented, and with the Frenchman unlikely to return to before August, it seems Barcelona are ready to offload him in the summer.
Dembele has featured in only five games in La Liga this season. Overall, the youngster has played in only 30% of total possible minutes since arriving in Catalonia back in 2017. So essentially, his valuation could reduce drastically if his injury worries persist in the future.
Barcelona, it seems, have already realised that. As a result, they are reportedly willing to even send Dembele out on loan, just like Philippe Coutinho was last summer. The Brazilian joined Bayern Munich, but has failed to make the desired impact. He has notably been linked with a permanent move away from Camp Nou in the summer.
Dembele could certainly follow suit given his struggles at Barcelona. As iterated earlier, the attacker hasn’t had a great time dealing with injuries. But more importantly, the 22-year-old has failed to convince the club with his performances on the field, and when he has shown glimpses of his brilliance, he has lacked the consistency.
A move away from Barcelona looks like the logical choice for Dembele at the moment. England, in particular, could be an interesting destination. In fact, the Frenchman was reportedly courted by European champions Liverpool, during the January transfer window.
The Reds are actively in search of reinforcements in the offensive department, having appeared too overreliant on the services of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. The potential addition of Dembele, in that regard, should serve as a breath of fresh air for Jurgen Klopp.
Coming back to Barcelona, the departure of Dembele in the summer, combined with the potential exit of Coutinho, could create a massive void in the offensive unit. That means we can expect the Blaugrana to step up their efforts in bringing back Neymar.
In the meantime, they are already believed to be in pole position in the pursuit of Lautaro Martinez, although Manchester City and Chelsea have reportedly joined the race to sign him. If Dembele is to leave, Barcelona fans should brace themselves for a busy summer transfer window and a major squad overhaul, as the club looks to usher in a new era under Quique Setien.
