Barcelona president hints at Ousmane Dembélé stay | OneFootball

A disappointing first season at Camp Nou has seen Ousmane Dembélé linked with a number of clubs.

The Frenchman joined Barcelona less than a year ago in an astounding €147m deal.

However, he is struggled to live up to expectations and – mostly due to injuries – made just 17 LaLiga appearances in his first campaign with the club.

That has seen him linked with Liverpool and Arsenal but Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu appears to have rubbished those rumours.

“[Philippe] Coutinho, [Ousmane] Dembélé are a big investment for us. They are very important players and we expect a lot from them,” Bartomeu told AP.

“Dembélé is a very young player, a very talented player that we are, of course, expecting a lot from.

“He’s been demonstrating during the season that he’s a good young player for us. But, of course, next season will be different. It’s not easy to play in Barcelona the first year because the model of football is quite different from the rest, but after one year I’m sure we are going to see Dembélé and Coutinho at a very high level.”

That, then, would mean no summer move for the 21-year-old.

Dembélé enjoyed a stunning season at Borussia Dortmund before joining the LaLiga champions and, in that form, is more than capable of making the grade at Barcelona.

The winger is under contract with Barcelona until 2022 and is in the France squad for this summer’s World Cup.