Chelsea are willing to go all out for Barcelona contract rebel, Ousmane Dembele. This comes as per the Spanish outlet, Sport.
The Blues are looking to make additions to their attack for the next term and have identified Dembele as a potential target. Dembele’s contract with Barcelona expires at the end of this season and he will leave on a Bosman. That is barring any last minutes surprises, of course. Talks over his contract renewal have broken down completely. The economic demands posed by the player’s agent have forced Barca out of the negotiation room.
The source understands that Dembele’s entourage have started to make contacts with potential suitors across Europe. Tottenham and Chelsea were interested in signing the 24-year-old in January but the player wanted to finish the season in Spain. That said, Sport also claims that only Manchester United, Juventus, and Chelsea are willing to listen to his demands.
Chelsea are willing to offer Ousmane Dembele a good signing-on bonus in addition to an attractive salary. The negotiations are said to be underway, as per Sport. Chelsea are looking at Dembele as an attractive market option. The player’s camp though will only agree if the out-of-favour Barcelona star is the centre-piece of the sporting project.
What are Dembele’s demands?
Ousmane Dembele has apparently requested a salary of €40 million per season, with a signing-on bonus of €20 million.
Ousmane Dembele: Right option for Chelsea?
As attractive an option Dembele is, Chelsea should avoid signing him on the terms being reported currently. The Frenchman has a wealth of natural talent but his casual attitude on and off the pitch is something that needs a critical assessment.
The amount of talent that Dembele possesses is monstrous and with better finishing, he can easily enter the conversation with respect to being one of the top players in Europe. Not to forget, Thomas Tuchel was the coach who announced him to the world.
In other words, Chelsea will be taking a gamble if they sign Dembele. His injury-prone nature makes it almost impossible for an interested party to be confident regarding him injury wise. Having said that, he has stayed relatively fit this season for a troubled Barcelona side this year and has notched up decent statistics with 1 goal and 5 assists in 511 minutes of action in the league.
As per the source, the player has let Xavi know of his intention to stay. But, Barcelona will not make any more attempts to secure his contract and he will have to take the initiative.
Ousmane Dembele will offer attacking depth to the Stamford Bridge outfit but it is tough to imagine him being the centre-piece of Chelsea’s sporting project. He had displayed the potential to run a game by himself early on in his career but going by his current level, he is far off. Chelsea should sign the 24-year-old only if he agrees to a secondary role. A player of his quality arriving on a Bosman is always a bonus for any side.
And if Chelsea decide to tweak their attack again in the summer, given the struggles up top, Dembele could be a possible addition to the mix but it will not be a wise choice to put too many eggs in this particular basket for Tuchel and his side.
Dembele staying at Barcelona is also a possibility. Only time will disclose the outcome of this saga.