French international winger Ousmane Dembele remains on course to be without a club come July 1st as the 25-year-old has yet to secure a move away from Barcelona or come to fresh terms with the Catalan giants.
But fresh reports suggest that Dembele and his representatives remain open to discourse with Barça despite considerable interest from Premier League giants Chelsea.
(🌕) Amid contrary reports, at the moment, Dembele’s camp assures the club’s current offer will NOT be accepted by them – but they’re open to talking, given Xavi’s desire to have Dembele in the team. Club wants him to renew, but under their terms. @santiovalle #Transfers 🇫🇷🚨 pic.twitter.com/oHFN2J8D1t
— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) June 22, 2022
The reliable Reshad Rahman cited Cadena SER’s Santi Ovalle reporting that as things stand Dembele has no intention to sign on the dotted line with the current offer on the table from Barcelona but has left the door open should the club return with a far better offer. That seems unlikely, however, as Barcelona is adamant that they would like Dembele to extend his contract at the Camp Nou but only on terms that they deem appropriate.
As such, this still leaves an avenue of attack for Chelsea as Blues boss Thomas Tuchel would be keen on reuniting with Dembele after the Frenchman shone under his command at Borussia Dortmund during the 2016-17 Bundesliga season that saw him hit 10-goals and add 21-assists across a combined 49-appearances.
That brilliant season under Tuchel prompted Barcelona to splash £97million for the native of Vernon, making him the current joint-eight most expensive transfer in history.
With Romelu Lukaku now on his way back to Inter Milan this summer on a season-long loan after failing to make the grade at Chelsea, Dembele could offer a much-needed attacking addition at Stamford Bridge.
Though he is incapable of being slotted into a center-forward role, a move for him would likely mean that Chelsea would continue to rely on the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, unless a deal for Arsenal target Gabriel Jesus or fellow Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling can be struck.
