Getty Ousmane Dembele watches Barcelona in action.
Ousmane Dembele has sent out a message to Barcelona and the club’s fans after being told to leave the club “imminently” by director of football Mateu Alemany.
The French forward took to Instagram to express how he is feeling and made it clear he has total faith in his agent Moussa Sissoko who has so far been unable to agree a contract extension with the Catalan giants.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared a translation of Dembele’s message in full.
Ousmane Dembélé: “For four years people have spoken for me, shamefully lied with a single purpose, the intention of harming me. I have been following my line of never answering for four years. Has it been a mistake? Surely. It’s over”. 🔴🇫🇷 #Dembele
Full Dembouz statement ⤵️📑
Dembele’s comments come after Barcelona appeared to run out of patience with the forward who is out of contract in the summer and able to walk away from the Camp Nou as a free agent.
Alemany told reporters that Dembele “must leave immediately” because he does not believed he is committed to the club and added that the Catalan giants were hoping “a transfer will take place before January 31.”
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Barca Warned Over Dembele Stance
Meanwhile, Barca have also been warned over possible “illegal” treatment of Dembele following Alemany’s comments. The Professional Footballers Association (AFE) in Spain issued a statement advising Barca to avoid pressurizing the forward, as reported by ESPN.
“A club is obliged to pay a player the agreed wages and allow the provision of services under the same conditions as the rest of his teammates, without there being any type of discrimination or pressure for the athlete to waive their working rights. The renewal of a contract requires the agreement of both parties,” read the statement. “Said agreement must be issued freely without any external conditions that limit the player’s freedom. A footballer does not have the right to be called up for every match, but they must be treated under the same conditions as their teammates.”
The AFE also added that Dembele is well within his rights not to renew his contract at Barca and said that any action to try and “break his will” could be considered to be against the law.
“The AFE considers that not reaching an agreement to renew a contract does not imply a labour breach, so it cannot have any consequences. Not picking a player for a period of time without any injury, illness or physical impediment, supposes a devaluation of his image that will negatively affect his future contracts,” the statement added. “If [Barca’s actions] can be understood as pressure to break his will — and if public statements are also made acknowledging this type of pressure — we would be looking at illegal conduct.”
What Happens Now?
Dembele’s post offers little insight into his intentions about his future, other than expressing his full confidence in his agent. Sissoko has already hit out at Barcelona, claiming the Catalans aren’t willing to negotiate and referring to threats about leaving Dembele on the bench for the rest of the season.
Moises Llorens at ESPN has reported that Dembele’s preference is still to stay at the Camp Nou and there is optimism regarding being able to have “one last talk with the club.”
Yet Barca may be unwilling to meet again. Xavi has already insisted the club has made a final decision on Dembele and told the Frenchman either to renew his contract or look for a way out.
An exit may be difficult to find with just 11 days left in the January transfer window, and the only thing that appears to be certain is that his long-running saga is not over just yet.
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Dembele Breaks Silence After Being Told To Leave Barcelona