Barcelona President Joan Laporta remains hopeful of re-signing Ousmane Dembele to a new long-term contract as his current deal runs out this summer. The Frenchman has, so far, refused to commit his future to the Spanish giants, who risk losing him for free at the end of the season. While the talks may have stalled, they aren’t completely dead yet, and with time remaining until the transfer window opens again, Laporta hopes Dembele will reconsider the club’s offer.
“Dembélé knows our offer and we have always wanted for him to stay, we hope that in the end, he thinks about it again,”
Laporta said in a short statement following Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Athletic Club.
Dembele arrived in Barcelona in 2017 for a fee of 140 million euros but has since split his time in and out of the first team and the sidelines. In those five years, the Frenchman has made just 134 appearances and scored 32 goals.
It could well be the case of one out, one in – for free – for Barcelona. As per reports, the club is closing in on the free signing of AC Milan standout Franck Kessie. The Ivorian himself is out of contract at his current club after this season, and talks, so far, between the two parties, have failed to reach a conclusion. The midfielder is expected to leave Milan – the team he signed for in 2019 from Atalanta – and has no shortage of suitors, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur also keen.
However, as per reports, Barcelona are closest to the player. The club amped up its efforts to sign the midfielder in recent weeks, and is hoping an agreement can be reached soon. Should the Ivorian sign for the Blaugrana, he would become their sixth free signing in recent times; the club also signed Sergio Aguero, Dani Alves, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Memphis Depay, and Eric Garcia for free this season.
