Getty Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele
Barcelona confirmed Tuesday that Ousmane Dembele will undergo surgery after suffering a knee injury that has forced the France international out of Euro 2020.
The Catalan giants offered an update on the forward’s condition on the club’s official website. A statement read, “Following tests this morning on player Ousmane Dembélé, it has been confirmed that he has a dislocation of the biceps tendon in his right knee that will require surgical treatment.”
France had previously confirmed on Monday that Dembele had been forced to withdraw from the tournament after suffering the problem in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Hungary after coming on as a substitute.
Barcelona has not indicated how long Dembele will be out for, but initial reports suggests he could miss four months. French newspaper L’Equipe reports “healing times are over four months” and the operation is likely to take place in Finland.
The news means that Dembele will miss the start of Barcelona’s 2021-22 season. The players are due back for pre-season training on July 12th and La Liga is due to kick off on the weekend of the 14-15 August. However, the France international may not be ready to feature until November.
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Dembele Injury To Decide Future?
Dembele’s injury is also likely to have an impact on his future and affect the club’s summer transfer plans, according to Xavi Campos at Catalunya Radio. The Frenchman is into the final year of his contract and Barca want to sell or extend his deal to avoid losing him for free in 2022.
The Frenchman’s latest injury means a transfer in the current transfer window now looks unlikely and Dembele staying on at the Camp Nou is “foreseen as the only and priority option.”
Dembele has given little away about his future. He told L’Equipe before the Euros that he would think about his future after the tournament. The 24-year-old explained, “I don’t know, we’ll see. We will meet with the management. I’m not in a hurry and neither are they, we’ll see what happens. I’m totally focused on the Euros, then I’ll go on holiday. It’s been a long season.”
The 24-year-old’s season is now finally over which means a decision will need to be made. If he does not sign a new contract then Barca is reportedly willing to keep the forward in the stands next season.
Koeman Rues Dembele’s ‘Bad Luck’
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has been asked about Dembele’s latest injury after arriving back in the city following a few days back in the Netherlands, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Koeman rued the French forward’s bad luck and said it’s something that his team must accept ahead of the new season.
“I can’t say much about this because it’s bad luck that he got injured,” he said. “These are things that must be accepted and analyzed but now we are on vacation and thinking about the next season, they are things that must be accepted.”
Dembele featured regularly under Koeman last season, making 38 appearances, and the Dutchman said back in April he wants the forward to stay. The coach told reporters that Dembele “is an important player” but his latest injury is yet another frustrating setback for the club and the Frenchman.
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