Ousmane Dembele
Following a relatively quiet summer transfer window, Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele has once again come under the limelight.
The forward was one of Barça’s top performers in 2022 and despite his poor showing in the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina, he has become a hot topic in the transfer market, with Paris Saint-Germain one of the clubs reportedly interested in his services.
It appears Les Parisiens are looking for a replacement for Neymar, who may leave the club at the end of the season following disagreements with Kylian Mbappe.
In an attempt to replace Neymar, PSG have set their sights on Dembele. The Frenchman has an excellent rapport with Mbappe and is also close friends with Lionel Messi, as the two often keep track of each other.
However, according to a report from Diario SPORT, PSG may have to fork out €100 million if they are to secure the services of Dembele.
This comes after reports that suggest PSG are looking to pay Dembele’s release clause, which is said to be around €50 million. About €25 million of the release clause belongs to the player, meaning Barcelona can only bag the remaining half of the pie.
But as per the report, the Catalans have no intention of selling Dembele for a cut-price and insist PSG will have to pay €100 million for the player.
It is worth mentioning that Barça are hoping to advance their efforts to hand Dembele a second renewal that will help the club secure the player’s long-term future at Camp Nou. The winger’s current contract in Catalonia is set to expire at the end of next season.
It is evident that Dembele’s status has Barcelona has changed radically over the past year and the player is not considered essential for the club’s long-term development. Hence, it will be quite a challenge for PSG to lure the Frenchman away from Camp Nou in the near future.
[Source: barcauniversal.com]