Joan Laporta sends message to Ousmane Dembélé amid stalling Barcelona contract talks | OneFootball

Joan Laporta has sent a message to Ousmane Dembélé amid stalling contract talks.

Dembélé is out of contract at Barca next summer, and as things stand, he will leave the club for nothing.

Barca are determined to avoid that fate, keen to tie the winger down to a new deal sooner rather than later.

But talks have not gone well with the latest reports suggesting that, as things stand, Dembélé will indeed leave next summer.

In the midst of a financial crisis, Barca are unable to offer the wages Dembélé is asking for, but at the same time, both Laporta and head coach Xavi Hernandez are suggesting the Frenchman is a key part of the club’s future.

And in his latest interview, Laporta has sent another message to Dembélé as contract talks continue to sputter.

“Dembélé is a very important player, he can give a lot more to Barcelona than he has given,” said Laporta, as cited by Mundo Deportivo.

“If he continues with us, he could arrive to be a player of reference.”

Dembélé has been at Barca since 2017 when he arrived on a deal worth more than €130million.

Since then, injuries have hampered his progress, but still only 24 years of age, there is still belief he can reach his potential at Camp Nou.