Within the wake of Neymar’s surprise departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona spent greater than part of the sector document rate it gained at the fresh-faced teen who was once surroundings the Bundesliga on hearth.
Barça reportedly paid a then membership document rate of €105 million ($119M) for Dembélé again in 2017, with the deal probably emerging to €140 million ($158.5M), and the Frenchman is reported to be on wages of round €20 million ($22.5M) in step with 12 months.
However as an alternative of filling Neymar’s sizable footwear, Dembélé went directly to grow to be — in all probability unfairly — symbolic of the Catalan membership’s monetary mismanagement in an generation that has observed the membership regress from Champions League contender to Europa League player.
Dembélé’s time on the membership would surely seem to be coming to a detailed — and it is not an finish that both birthday celebration would have foreseen 5 years in the past.
The 24-year-old best has six months left on his contract, however Barcelona’s precarious monetary state of affairs way the membership would a lot favor he left all over the January switch window because it continues to battle to sign in new gamers.
On Thursday, Barça launched an interview with its director of soccer, Mateu Alemany, who mentioned Dembélé “must depart in an instant” after the participant and his brokers rejected a lot of provides to stick all over months of negotiations.
“We began conversations with Ousmane and his brokers round July,” Alemany mentioned. “All through this time, in six or seven months, we have spoken, we have had discussion, Barcelona has made more than a few provides to search for some way for the participant to stick with us.
“The ones provides were systematically rejected via his brokers. It is obvious that the participant does now not need to keep at Barcelona and he is not dedicated to the longer term venture of the membership.
“It’s been communicated to him and his brokers that he must depart in an instant. The carrying end result of all this, evaluated via the training workforce and supervisor, is that we are not looking for gamers who don’t seem to be dedicated to the venture.”
Then again, Dembélé answered with a commentary in a while Thursday, insisting he’s nonetheless on the disposal of head trainer Xavi and mentioned he would now not be “giving in to blackmail.”
Dembélé says he has long gone 4 years with out justifying the rest he has learn and says he has persisted “rumors” and other people “mendacity shamelessly” about him.
“That ends nowadays,” he wrote. “From nowadays, I’m going to reply sincerely, with out giving in to blackmail. I am 24 years previous and prefer each and every guy I’ve defects and imperfections. I have lived sophisticated moments, accidents, Covid has affected me.
“I forbid someone from giving the influence that It’s not that i am concerned within the carrying venture. I forbid someone from attributing to me any intentions I have by no means had. I forbid someone from talking for me or my brokers, who I accept as true with utterly.
“Nonetheless underneath contract, I’m utterly concerned and on the disposal of my membership and trainer. I have all the time given the entirety for my teammates, the socios … now isn’t the time that may alternate.”
Barça’s woes off the sphere have been compounded via an overtime defeat to Athletic Bilbao within the Copa del Rey spherical of 16 on Thursday, finishing the staff’s ultimate likelihood of realistically profitable any silverware this season.
If truth be told, a trophy would have best papered over the cracks on the beleaguered membership.
If Dembélé’s arrival on the Blaugrana was once intended to sign a brand new generation, so will his departure. Then again, it is going to take a lot more than one unsatisfied participant leaving for this membership to regain its former glory.
