Ousmane Dembele tells Xavi he will stay at Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele will remain at Barça despite his contract situation making him an attractive player on the market. The French winger can leave the Blaugrana for just €50m until mid-July, but he will not exercise that clause or listen to offers. Dembele told Xavi that his intention is to continue at Barça this season and in the future as he is willing to renew his deal with a contract that could run until 2027.
Barça wanted to resolve Dembele's future as soon as possible to avoid problems with the release clause and prevent last-minute surprises with a player they consider essential. The director of football, Mateu Alemany, had frequent contact but negotiations for his continuity were somewhat slowed down and the club hopes to make a definitive push in a matter of days.
The key is the player's absolute determination to continue in Xavi's project, although there were logical tensions due to the low price of his termination clause. The market is very busy due to the arrival of clubs from Saudi Arabia on the scene and Barça feared a move, which so far has not happened due to the player's own will to continue.
The Blaugrana are already making an appointment with Ousmane Dembele's agent to make the final renewal proposal with which they hope to reach a full agreement. Barça will offer him a long contract - until 2027 - with a salary that will increase as the seasons go by. The idea is that Ousmane is clear that Barça value him as a regular starter and that he will end up being the best-paid player in the squad in the future.
The player has always been clear that he wants to continue and has communicated this to his agent and Xavi Hernandez. Ousmane had a chat with the coach before leaving on holiday in which he made it clear that he was not going to move from Barcelona. Dembélé is very comfortable with the new project, he feels important in the dressing room and physically he seems fully recovered. He believes he is in the ideal ecosystem for his career and is willing to make an effort now to continue. He did it last summer and he will do it now.
The new sporting director, Deco, wants to clear up this whole issue as soon as possible. In fact, he wanted an appointment about ten days ago and it was not possible, but he is of the opinion that the renewal must be finalised before pre-season. Because of the clause for one, and because Dembélé cannot enter the final year of his contract without having his future clarified. They want to avoid another complicated situation like the last renewal, which ended up with the player half out of the team and not playing.
The financial offer Barça will make him is as far as they can go, although it is clear that Dembélé could earn more money outside Barça. The club is counting on his determination to stay.
