Ousmane Dembele is reportedly not opposed to the idea of staying put at Barcelona, even though negotiations over a renewal have halted.
According to Spanish journalist Helena Condis on COPE, Barcelona might end up tying Ousmane Dembele to a new contract after all. The French international is open to staying put at Camp Nou beyond the summer transfer window, even though negotiations over a renewal have broken down.
Ousmane Dembele has long been regarded as one of the most promising young attackers in Europe, having been on the radars of high profile clubs across Europe since his days with Stade Rennais. The 24-year-old became even more sought-after during his short stint with Borussia Dortmund before joining Barcelona in August 2017.
The French international was widely heralded as the rightful successor for Neymar following the Brazilian’s shocking move to Paris Saint-Germain. But a spate of injuries and poor form have halted his momentum and progress considerably, with the player missing nearly as many games as he has played for Barcelona.
Dembele has been in a similar predicament this term, garnering only 911 minutes of game-time across 17 appearances in all competitions. But an underwhelming stint with Barcelona is set to end in the summer transfer window as things stand, with negotiations between the two parties breaking down earlier this year.
? Informa @HelenaCondis
✅ @dembouz deja la puerta abierta a renovar con el Barça aunque su agente NO ha vuelto a negociar con el club desde que rompieron negociación
?? Dembele se siente muy bien en el FCB y la llegada de Xavi ha sido clave, está muy feliz
? #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/X3F2vkouIB
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) March 6, 2022
After the news broke, Barcelona fans did not take kindly to it, booing Dembele in his first appearance after the January transfer window ended. But Xavi Hernandez has lent his support to Dembele for weeks, asserting he will turn the boos into applause.
Dembele’s teammates, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have since urged Dembele to extend his stay at Barcelona, with Joan Laporta revealing that he knows their offer. And now, it looks like the 24-year-old could end up staying put at Camp Nou after all.
According to Helena Condis, Dembele has left the door open to renew terms with Barcelona, even though his agent has not held talks with the Blaugrana since the negotiations broke off. Dembele is very happy at Barcelona, especially with Xavi bringing the best out of him. But with talks yet to resume, his future at Camp Nou is hanging by a thread.
