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Barcelona have sent a fresh message to French forward Ousmane Dembele amid continued speculation about the 24-year-old’s future at the Camp Nou.
“If you want to continue, you must be in charge, because now your agent is in charge and he doesn’t speak the line you speak,” is the message from the club, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Dembele is out of contract at the end of the 2021-22 season and able to walk away from the club as a free agent. However, the attacker has told team-mates in the Barca locker room he wants to stay, as reported by Fernando Polo at Mundo Deportivo.
Contract extension talks between Barcelona and Dembele’s agent Moussa Sissoko broke down in the January transfer window. The Frenchman was then dropped from the squad and told to look for a new club.
However, a winter transfer failed to materialize and Dembele was recalled to the first team by Xavi. The forward has since played a key role in Barca’s recent resurgence, contributing seven assists in his last eight matches for the Catalans.
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Laporta Talks Dembele Future
President Joan Laporta has opened up on Dembele’s situation in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo and was asked about the possibility of Barcelona restarting contract negotiations. The president hinted the club could be willing to chat about a new deal again, as reported by 90min.
“Let’s see, I don’t like to talk about hypothetical situations. If this happens, we’re talkative people and Dembele appreciates that very much,” he said. “In addition, now with Aubameyang and Umtiti, he gets along with them very well. There is a good atmosphere and, to me, he looks happy at the end of matches. He gets along with Auba very well, and that’s nice to see.”
Laporta also revealed that Barca’s last contract offer to Dembele expired in December 2021 and warned the financially-troubled club are now, “setting salary levels that all those who have to stay next season will have to accept
Alba Tells Dembele to Stay
Barca players have been vocal in their desire for Dembele to stay. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has made it clear he wants his good friend to remain at the club, while Jordi Alba has also offered his thoughts.
“Renew Dembele? I think they should. In his position he’s one of the best in the world by far,” he told Cadena Ser. “He’s motivated and I don’t know what he’s going to do, but I hope he stays.”
There’s no doubt that Dembele is a quality player when fit and firing, but there are still questions marks over his fitness given he’s spent large chunks of his career at Barcelona sidelined through injury.
Coach Xavi has repeatedly said he wants Dembele to stay, and is building an exciting, young team at the Camp Nou, but it’s still not clear if the Frenchman wants to be part of Barca’s future or will walk away once his contract expires.
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