Barcelona are reportedly considering terminating the contract of Ousmane Dembele after failing to offload him in the January transfer window.
According to Diario AS, Barcelona are seriously contemplating the prospect of terminating the contract of Ousmane Dembele after having been unable to sell him in the transfer window.
Dembele is in the final six months of his contract at Barcelona and has refused to sign an extension. The Catalan giants were intent on getting rid of him during the recently concluded window to make some cash from his sale rather than losing him for nothing at the end of the season.
There was strong interest from Paris Saint-Germain while Chelsea also made moves to try and sign him late on transfer deadline day. However, a move did not materialise, and the French international ended up staying put at Camp Nou.
With the move collapsing, the Barcelona hierarchy are looking at other ways to cut ties with the winger. It is claimed that the club are unhappy with the situation as Dembele has refused to sign a new deal and was unwilling to entertain the offers that were on the table for him in January.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta reveals: “We think Ousmane Dembélé has an agreement in place with another club”. ??? #FCB
“He didn’t want to leave the club in January. It’s really difficult to understand his position, makes no sense for him and for the club”. pic.twitter.com/8FUenLc4w2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 1, 2022
As a result, Barcelona are now seriously considering terminating Dembele’s contract before it expires. As per the report, the Blaugrana are willing to offer him the letter of freedom, in which case the two parties will mutually agree to part ways. It would make Dembele a free agent, meaning that the club would be clearing up space on the wage bill even though they would have to pay his salary until he finds a new club.
However, for such a scenario to occur, the two parties must reach a mutual agreement, which is unlikely to happen. It is why the Catalans are considering the option of unilaterally terminating Dembele’s contract. In such a case, they would have to pay him his wages till June but will be getting rid of him for good.
As things stand, the Barcelona board has no intention of seeing the winger back on the field for the club, even though manager Xavi Hernandez does not share the same vision. It remains to be seen how this situation develops in the coming days and whether the Catalans terminate Dembele’s contract.
