Getty Ousmane Dembele in action for Barcelona.
Barcelona have seen a €35 million bid for Leeds United’s Brazilian winger Raphinha rejected and have been told to pay the 25-year-old’s €75m release clause if they are to land the attacker this summer.
Yet the Catalan giants remain optimistic they can land Raphinha “for an affordable price” and can secure a deal “in the coming weeks,” as reported by Joaquim Piera at Diario Sport.
Raphinha “has opted” for Barcelona despite interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool and has told his agent Deco “to do everything possible” to secure a Camp Nou move this summer.
Barcelona intend to continue negotiations with Leeds over a move as they try to bring in a replacement for Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season and able to walk away for free.
It is still not clear what Dembele will do next and where he will be playing his football next season. However, the Catalans are pessimistic about the chances of the Frenchman staying and believe he has already agreed a move with another club, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
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Barcelona President Talks Transfers
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been talking about his club’s transfer plans amid growing speculation about which players might arrive in the summer. PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe has become the latest player to be linked with Barca but Laporta told Mundo Deportivo that the club won’t go crazy in the transfer market.
“I will not talk about specific players but I can tell you that we will not do any deals that puts the club at risk. The members can be calm because we are not going to lose our heads over an operation of this magnitude,” he said. “Most players want to come to Barcelona, they like the club, the team, our philosophy, our way of working, of interpreting football. And this is good, we are seeing this in many cases and on a daily basis. They will have to adapt to Barcelona’s salary levels and to an economic structure of the deal that maintains the sustainability and balance of the club.”
Barcelona’s finances remain an issue, although the club has announced a new sponsorship deal with Spotify that is worth around €280 million ($307m), according to ESPN.
Lilian Thuram Talks Dembele’s Future
Meanwhile, former Barcelona and France defender Lilian Thuram has been talking about Dembele’s future and his offered his compatriot some advice on what to do next, as reported by Sport.
“Dembele is a great player and, as a consequence, should play in a great team. Barcelona is just that,” he said. “The players at Barca have to understand that playing in great team is always an important thing. In the end, that will count for a lot.”
The winger has been in great form in 2022 after recovering from injury and being recalled to the squad. Dembele has seven assists and one goal in his last eight matches in all competitions for the Catalan giants.
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