A sizeable victory in the transfer market looks set for Ousmane Dembélé and Paris Saint-Germain as, according to Relevo, the Frenchman has agreed a deal to leave Barcelona for the Parisians before midnight on Monday 31st July.
The timing has great significance, as a clause in the winger’s contract stipulates that he can leave Camp Nou for €50 million before the end of the day, €10 million less than his current valuation.
The clause also says that in such a deal, the cash-strapped Catalans will only take a 50% share of the transfer fee themselves, with the other half going directly to Dembélé’s bank account. Barcelona are said to be intent on keeping hold of Dembélé and see him as key to Xavi’s plans for the upcoming campaign, which begins on the weekend commencing Friday 11th August.
Barça have made their position clear, that Dembélé is not for sale, but PSG – who informed Barcelona of their intention to negotiate with him – are said to have agreed a five-year contract with the 26-year-old.
Dembélé was on the score sheet during el Clásico in Dallas last night, which gave Xavi the opportunity after the match to reinforce his claim of how significant the winger is to his plans. But when asked about the Frenchman’s likelihood of committing his future to Barcelona, he said, “I can’t control the market”.
Dembélé arrived at Barcelona in August 2017, five months after now-PSG head coach Luis Enrique’s departure. In six injury-hit years, he was racked up 185 appearances, scoring 40 times.
Anthony Tomas | GSFN
