Mateu Alemany: Ousmane Dembele is now in Paris

Mateu Alemany confirmed after Barça's 4-2 win over Tottenham in the Joan Gamper Trophy that Ousmane Dembélé is no longer in first-team action. The Blaugrana's sporting director said the French striker's exit was a done deal and dismissed Neymar's possible return as a "journalistic issue".

Alemany explained that Dembélé's absence at the Gamper was not to avoid a fans' plebiscite. The Barça sporting director confirmed that the French striker is already a closed folder at the Blaugrana club. "The situation with Dembélé is very clear. He asked to leave and it is something that was established in the renewal contract he signed," began Alemany, who hinted that the announcement of his transfer is imminent: "We are in the process of resolving the transfer. Dembélé is no longer in the first team dynamic, otherwise he would have been at the Gamper. Dembélé is in Paris. When the agreement is signed, we will communicate the figures of the operation and with that we close another folder." The Barça sporting director finished by throwing a dart at the player: "We are happy with the players who want to be with us".

Alemany dodged questions about the arrival of the missing reinforcements: "We have the circumstances that we have and we are focused on departures and getting the players registered. I am optimistic that we will be able to register all the players before Sunday." However, he left the door open to Xavi having the signings he has asked for: "We'll see what happens between now and the end of the market, because you never know".

The sporting director was pleased with the response from the fans: "It's not easy, because people are not used to coming to Montjuïc and there are many on holiday, but it was good. And he was also pleased with the team's response: "We had fun. Those who came to Montjuïc had a good time. This is what the summer trophies are for".