Barcelona fear €130m forward will not renew, set to speed up talks with Brazilian winger | OneFootball

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Barca Universal

·17 May 2022

Barcelona fear €130m forward will not renew, set to speed up talks with Brazilian winger

Article image:Barcelona fear €130m forward will not renew, set to speed up talks with Brazilian winger

As we enter the final week of the 2021/22 season, Barcelona are yet to work out a solution for Ousmane Dembele’s contract situation.

The 25-year-old has just a little over a month left on his current deal with the Blaugrana. Talks over an extension had completely frozen at the turn of the year after he rejected the club’s offer and refused to leave when Barça tried to offload him in January.


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There was even talk of the club banishing him to the stands for the remainder of the season. However, manager Xavi Hernandez put faith in the winger and handed him regular opportunities, which the Frenchman made the most of.

Indeed, Dembele has emerged as one of Barcelona’s best performers in the second half of the season and has chalked up a goal and 13 assists in 20 La Liga matches.

His form and Xavi’s insistence on keeping him convinced Barça to reopen the line of communication with Dembele’s agent over an extension. Multiple meetings have been held since, but an agreement is still not in sight.

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It has been claimed that the signing-on bonus that the winger’s representative, Moussa Sissoko, is demanding has become a major hurdle, with the club unwilling to pay.

Now, Gerard Romero has claimed that Barcelona are set for another meeting with the representatives of Dembele later today, i.e., Tuesday as they look to reach a resolution.

However, the journalist adds that the Catalan giants fear that an agreement might not be reached and Dembele could end up leaving in the summer as a free agent.

Such a scenario could lead to Barcelona stepping up their pursuit of Leeds United winger, Raphinha. The 25-year-old Brazilian international has been earmarked as a top target to bolster the right flank in the summer, irrespective of whether Dembele stays or leaves.

The winger himself is believed to be keen on a move to Camp Nou and personal terms have been sorted already thanks to his agent Deco enjoying close ties with Barça.

While the Catalans had been waiting for Leeds United to find out their fate in the relegation battle before starting serious negotiations for Raphinha, their plans might accelerate if it becomes clear that Dembele’s extension is a lost cause.

The Brazilian has had a decent season for Leeds, even though his form has declined of late. But, as things stand, he could be headed to Barcelona come summer.

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