Ousmane Dembele’s contract saga has taken another turn. As a result, Liverpool may be about to lose the hope of signing the Barcelona forward on a free transfer.
Dembele was told that he should “leave immediately” by Barca’s director of football Mateu Alemany. That was barely a week ago. But now reports from Spain suggest a U-turn could take place.
Liverpool were reported to be one of the sides interested in signing the Frenchman. Spanish outlets Cuatro and Sport both credited The Reds with an interest.
It is Sport who now claim the 24-year-old could stay at Barcelona.
The latest is that Dembele’s agents have met with Barca manager Xavi to clear the air. In the meeting they conveyed the player’s desire to remain at the club.
Xavi reportedly doesn’t want to lose him and has instructed the agents to resolve the matter urgently.
What does it mean for Liverpool
Dembele is a signing that would excite Liverpool fans. Despite his injury issues, he is a tremendous player who, after costing Barcelona over £100m, would be an incredible piece of business on a free transfer.
But, although reports have suggested otherwise, we don’t think Dembele is a serious target for Liverpool.
He is reported to want a contract of £25m per year. There is simply no way that Liverpool will offer him that kind of package.
There have also been question marks over his professionalism throughout his time in Spain. As we know, Jurgen Klopp does his homework on potential signings and this could raise a red flag for the boss.
There are other players out there that we’d like to see Liverpool prioritise. However, should the latest contract talks not go as planned, there are worse ideas than making a realistic contract offer to Dembele.
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