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ousmane Dembele was left out in the cold again by Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman on Sunday night against Sevilla.
The Frenchman was not in the Dutch coach’s starting XI at the Camp Nou and also didn’t make it off the bench for the second week running. Koeman opted to bring on youngsters Pedri and Francisco Trincao for some added attacking inspiration.
Barcelona’s final substitutions of the match were to replace Philippe Coutinho and Jordi Alba with Miralem Pjanic and Sergino Dest, leaving Dembele once again as an unused substitute.
Barcelona drew the match 1-1 at the Camp Nou after Coutinho equalized Luuk de Jong’s opener. The Catalan giants remain unbeaten after their first three games of the season.
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What Next for Dembele?
Dembele’s future has been the subject of plenty of speculation in the final weeks of the transfer window, and Koeman’s decision to once again leave the Frenchman on the sidelines will only fuel rumors he could leave.
Indeed ESPN’s Moises Llorens believes Barcelona are expecting a call from Manchester United on Monday regarding Dembele. The Red Devils were thrashed 6-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.
The transfer window in England and Spain shuts at 11 p.m. BST/6 p.m. ET on Monday which leaves precious time for teams to do business. However, it’s worth noting it opens again in January 2021.
Dembele Out, Depay In?
Manchester United have already been in touch with Barcelona regarding Dembele, although the forward has decided he wants to stay at the Camp Nou, according to Cadena SER’s Santi Ovalle.
It remains to be seen if another night spent watching Barcelona from the stands, while younger players such as Pedri, Trincao and Ansu Fati take to the field, will have changed Dembele’s mind about his future.
Koeman spoke about Dembele’s future after the match and offered a pretty cryptic response about the 23-year-old’s future.
“Dembélé? What is certain in this world? There are things that can happen. He’s currently a Barça player… We’ll see.”
Dembele’s departure could allow Barcelona to bring in Memphis Depay from Lyon. Sporting director Juninho said on Sunday night the forward already has an agreement with Barcelona and it’s “possible” he could join the club on deadline day.
According to Moises Llorens at ESPN, Memphis will only arrive if Dembele is sold, meaning Barcelona could be set for an intriguing, and indeed busy, final day of the transfer window.
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