FC Barcelona manager Xavi is certainly an admirer of the talent Ousmane Dembele possesses and he’d like to see the French winger remain on the squad, according to Fabrizio Romano. Ousmane Dembele’s contract is up in June.
Xavi said: “I’d sign his new contract immediately, no doubt! But we need the numbers to work, it’s a negotiation – same with Araújo that looks almost done, Gavi, Sergi Roberto.”
“I hope he stays,” Xavi continued, “He could be one of the best players of the world in his position”.
There’s no doubt that Barcelona are hot on the trail when it comes to building their squad for next season. Negotiations with Ronald Araújo are progressing very well. In addition, the club is bringing in AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie and pushing for Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen.
FC Barcelona Pushing for Ousmane Dembele Contract Renewal
Ousmane Dembele Time at Barcelona Almost Up
Dembele arrived to the Spanish giants with plenty of fanfare. He was purchased from Borussia Dortmund for a reported 105 million Euros and up to an additional 40 million Euros in add-ons. Barcelona had just lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, so Dembele was seen as the heir. The Frenchman was also fresh off a couple of stellar seasons with Dortmund, a German club with a strong reputation for developing young talent.
It’s safe to say Dembele’s time at Barcelona is not going as planned. His best season came in 2018/19, where he scored eight goals and provided four assists in 29 league matches. These aren’t ideal numbers for a player who can cost up to 145 million Euros. In addition, Neymar, whom Dembele replaced, was regularly scoring 20+ goals per season for La Blaugrana.
A lot of Dembele’s struggles are due to constant injuries. There’s been a number of seasons where he’s struggled to play at least 20 matches in all competitions.
The talent is clearly there. Xavi is reinvigorating the club and is one of the top minds in modern football. Barcelona places total trust in Xavi, so of course they trust his faith in Dembele. The Frenchman doesn’t turn 25-years-old until next month and there’s plenty of time for him to hit his stride and enter his prime.
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