A fresh insight into the future of Barcelona contract rebel Ousmane Dembele has been forthcoming in the media on Friday.
The long-running saga surrounding the future of wide-man Dembele is of course set to come to an imminent conclusion.
This comes with the Frenchman, amid a frankly underwhelming stint at the Camp Nou to date, set to see the terms of his current contract expire come the end of the month.
Owing to a head-turning resurgence over the 2nd half of the campaign, it is understood that Xavi Hernandez and co. have changed their tune when it comes to Dembele’s future, now hopeful of the Frenchman staying put.
The intentions of the 25-year-old himself, though, have long remained unclear, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester United all waiting in the wings in the case of Dembele opting for a new challenge.
Some outlets have even gone as far as to suggest that one of the aforementioned clubs, in the form of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, are close to reaching an agreement with the explosive attacker.
Dembele close to Chelsea switch https://t.co/yo0K1cY5o8
— SPORT English (@Sport_EN) June 12, 2022
On Friday, though, a fresh update has been provided on the situation.
And the latest word stemming from the Spanish media points towards Dembele, in fact, leaning towards staying put at the Camp Nou.
As per Ferdinand Polo of Mundo Deportivo, across his most recent discussions with boss Xavi Hernandez, the Frenchman has repeatedly reiterated his desire to remain at the club beyond the summer.
Instead, the hold-up in negotiations between club and player comes owing to a disagreement over the financial details of Barcelona’s latest contract offer.
With Xavi having made clear to Dembele that he wants the winger as part of his squad for next season, hope therefore remains that common ground, ultimately, will be found.
In the case of Dembele staying put, the Blaugrana would also be expected to call a definitive end to their respective pursuits of Leeds United star Raphinha and free agent Angel Di Maria.
And such a scenario would, in turn, come as music to the ears of Arsenal and Juventus alike, rival suitors for the wide pair.
Ousmane Dembélé seems closer to staying at Barça and if he continues, the club would rule out signing Raphinha or Di Maria, to focus on other priority signings.
— @EduPolo pic.twitter.com/EaFef0rk1n
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) June 24, 2022
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