Barcelona to make last attempt to renew Ousmane Dembele's deal

Ousmane Dembele made a huge difference from the bench against Real Betis. Barcelona don’t want to let him go for free and will make a last effort to convince him. There’s a big difference in price between what Barcelona are proposing and the offers he has received from elsewhere. However, Barcelona are trying to reach an agreement before December ends.

Director of football Mateu Alemany has gone months speaking to Dembele’s people. The player has said that he would like to stay but his words don’t mean much when his agent is trying to negotiate a big contract. He has been snubbing Barcelona’s offers and biding time to arrive in January without agreeing on anything firm with Barcelona.

The Catalans want him to give an answer by December 31 and if they get silence back then they will assume he plans to go next summer for free when his contract ends.

The main issue is his fixed salary. Barcelona propose to freeze the current one and supplement it with some good bonuses. If he accomplishes them then he will be the best-paid player in the squad. However, there are huge offers for him on the table. Dembele’s agents also want a lump sum if he renews, that he would get as a sign-on fee elsewhere. That number cannot be reached by Barça. 

Barcelona know Dembele’s agent has met with United, Chelsea, Bayern, Tottenham and Juve to listen to offers. However, Barça hope he stays. He is comfortable in the city and now feels a potential leader of the project. The club also know that renewing a player of Dembele’s quality and characteristics will be cheaper than trying to sign a new one.