Dembele's move to Man United stuck down an alleyway with no exit
The forward doesn't want to go on loan and would prefer the comfort of a long-term deal
The coming hours could be key for Ousmane Dembele's future, at least in terms of the coming months,. The French forward was an unused substitute for the second game running on Sunday as Barcelona drew wit Sevilla. Ronald Koeman appears to have him behind Ansu Fati in the pecking order, but also behind Pedri and Trincao. But despite that, Dembele doesn't seem keen on a move away from Camp Nou.
The problem is that the club most interested in signing him, Manchester United, have not made an attractive offer for the player or for Barça.
However, Barça and Dembele's agents do agree on one thing: they both want a permanent transfer if it happens. Dembele will move to Old Trafford if it's a long-term solution for his career, not a temporary one.
Barça will only cede on one aspect: they would accept a loan but only if it comes with an obligatory option to buy next summer, before June 30, 2021.
While in England they say it's still possible that a deal happens, with coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to bolster his attack, United are not matching the conditions needed to get the deal done. As the hours pass, it seems Dembele will stay at Barcelona save any late twists.
SE QUEDA BUT...
As he has done on previous occasions, Koeman has said that if Dembele stays, he will be part of the squad and will compete with the rest of the players for minutes, although the Dutch coach has made his preferences clear.
Barça want around 60 million for Dembele, whose career at the club has been hampered by injuries since he joined from Borussia Dortmund three years ago.
So far this season, Dembele has played 20 minutes of football, in the opening game against Villarreal. He's not made it off the bench since then.
