Barcelona, Dembele’s Contract Extension Talks In Jeopardy

Frenchman Ousmane Dembele could be on his way out of Barcelona this summer after his contract extension talks with the Spanish side collapsed during the week

GOAL can confirm that the meeting between Barcelona and the player’s representative did not go as planned and, for now, no agreement has been reached by both sides.

According to the reports, negotiations did not go as expected by the Blaugrana, and given that Dembele’s contract requests were not met, the two sides remain a long way apart in their wage proposals.

However, Xavi and Co. remain hopeful that a deal can still be salvaged despite the dire circumstances.

For now, Dembele’s current contract will end after this season and he is free to negotiate a pre-contract with other clubs starting on January 1, 2022. The hope had been for Barca to reach an agreement with the French winger before that date.

But that possibility is obviously deeming with this week’s talks crumbling when Dembele balked at the wage cut the Blaugrana demanded. Both his wages and a bonus for his agent are points of contention in the negotiations.

Looking at the bigger picture, Barca manager Xavi said Dembele should hopefully be a key part of his rebuilding plans at the club, adding; “We are going to be positive for him to renew, for me it is fundamental.”

However, that positivity is now waning and Barca management believes it is imperative to slash Dembele’s wages in order to help afford the registration of new signing Ferran Torres, who cannot be officially added to their La Liga squad under current financial circumstances. – Goal.com