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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has offered an update on Ousmane Dembele’s future at the club after the forward scored and picked up two assists in the team’s 4-0 win over Athletic on Sunday, February 27.
Laporta says that Barcelona have always wanted Dembele to continue his career at the Camp Nou and hopes he will consider staying past the end of the season when his contract expires, as reported by Cadena SER.
He said, “Dembélé knows our proposal and we have always wanted him to stay, we hope that at the end of the season he will reconsider.”
Dembele started the win over Athletic on the bench but made a big impact after arriving in the 67th minute. He netted his first goal of the season with a stunning finish to make it 2-0 and then teed up goals for substitutes Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay.
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Barcelona Players ‘Surprised’ By Xavi and Dembele
Barcelona fans whistled Dembele when he took to the pitch against Athletic, having been annoyed at his failure to agree a new contract at the Camp Nou, but those jeers were quickly quietened by his goal.
Dembele went to celebrate with manager Xavi after the goal went in which suggested there is a strong bond developing between the coach and the Frenchman at the Camp Nou.
According to Albert Masnou at Diario Sport, Barcelona players have been surprised by how well the two are getting along. Their relationship appears to have grown stronger despite Dembele having been dropped from the squad and told to leave during the January transfer window.
Xavi has since recalled Dembele and publicly backed the forward. The Frenchman is said to be “tremendously grateful” for the attention he’s received from Xavi and the way he’s looking after his physical condition too.
Masnou adds that Dembele’s “desire” is to stay and renew his contract at Barcelona, but it remains to be seen if he will agree to the terms offered by the cash-strapped Catalan giants.
Barca’s Attack is Thriving
Dembele is also not guaranteed minutes in the Barcelona attack, despite his stellar showing, with the club’s forwards all in excellent form and scoring goals for fun currently.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also on target against Athletic and has five goals in his last three games, Adama Traore has four assists in six matches since joining in January, and Memphis remains the team’s top scorer on 11 goals.
Elsewhere, the much-maligned Luuk de Jong has scored five times since the turn of the year, while Ferran Torres has been a regular since arriving from Manchester City and has been described as a “fantastic signing” by Xavi.
It had been expected Dembele would leave in the summer on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract, but if he can stay fit and impress on the pitch Barcelona could be tempted to try once more to keep him at the Camp Nou.
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