Transfer News: Chelsea eye Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele
According to Diario Sport (h/t Football.London), Premier League giants are looking to sign Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele. The Blues have offered a ‘hefty transfer bonus’ to sign the attacker.
The 24-year-old French winger is out of contract this summer and is free to talk to the clubs as soon as the transfer window opens in January. The chances of him penning an extension with Barcelona appears to be slim.
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 for £135.5m from German club Dortmund. Despite being touted as one of the best around in the footballing world his performance has been pretty underwhelming.
Dembele is currently injured once again. After returning from five months of absence, Dembele was struck by injury again in his first match for Barca. Dembele suffered a thigh injury in Barcelona’s 1-0 win away at Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday.
As per FCBarcelona.com, Dembele has a strain in the semimembranosus muscle of his left hamstring. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.
According to Sport (h/t Mirror), Barcelona have been viewing Dembele’s renewal as ‘mission impossible’, although some outlets are now reporting that he can still extend his contract at Nou Camp.
It is also believed that Barcelona have already offered him a new three-year contract and the French winger may sign that before the transfer window opens in January.
There doesn’t really seem to be a need for Barcelona to sign Dembele considering the attacking talent at their disposal and the Frenchman’s injury record. Moreover, a young winger in Callum Hudson-Odoi is already underused and it’s better to pay attention to players already in the squad rather than splurging money elsewhere.