Barcelona Worried About Ousmane Dembele’s Future: Report

Ousmane Dembele’s future is giving Barcelona cause for concern with the French forward out of contract in 2022 and yet to extend his current deal at the Camp Nou.

The 23-year-old has returned to form and fitness this season for the Catalan giants and the club “know he will receive plenty of offers” this summer and also that “his people are not rushing into negotiations with Barca,” according to Diario Sport’s Toni Juanmarti.

That situation worries the Catalan giants who have “no doubts” they want to renew Dembele but know they “have to be prepared for anything.” If the club does not extend the forward or sell him this summer then he will be available to walk away for free next year.

That is not a scenario that Barca will want to entertain. Dembele cost the club €105 million-plus add-ons when he signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, while Barca’s debts stand in the region of €1.2 billion ($1.5b).

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Dembele Tipped To Improve

Dembele’s return to full fitness this season has been a real positive for the Catalan giants. The forward has made 35 appearances for Barca in all competitions, scoring nine times. His form has also seen him recalled to the France national side.

The Barcelona star’s physical trainer Salah Ghaidi has spoken to L’Equipe about Dembele and how he expects the youngster to get even better as his physical condition continues to improve.

“My specialty is physical preparation and Ousmane has an explosive game, he is very fast, like a sprinter, the type of profile that I know best. [Training Dembélé] is as if we had a Formula 1 car in our hands,” he said. “We are here to take care of him and help him optimize his performance. Physically, he has not reached one hundred percent yet. I’m not sure how far he can go. He is a war machine.”

After years of injury misery, Dembele has finally managed to become a key player for Barcelona this season, and the club will certainly be hoping he can now go on and fulfill his obvious potential at the Camp Nou.

Dembele On Target For France

Dembele is back with Barcelona for the run-in after the international break where he scored his first competitive goal for Les Bleus. The Barcelona star was on target in a World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a powerful shot across goal from just inside the penalty area and put in an impressive display for Didier Deschamps’ side.

Barcelona will hope Dembele can continue his good form for his club side in the final months of the season. The Catalan giants have just 10 La Liga games left to play and still retain hope of beating Atletico to the title.

Diego Simeone’s side top the table by four points from Barca but must still go to the Camp Nou in May. Ronald Koeman’s side also play the Copa del Rey final in April which offers the team the opportunity to win a first trophy under the Dutch coach.

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