Dembele: Contract renewal with Barcelona or sell him in the summer
The French forward's contract situation means a decision must be made soon
Ousmane Dembele has started to show his worth at Barcelona. Injuries have respected him and he's become an important part of Ronald Koeman's plans.
The big dilemma now is his contract situation. His deal ends in 2022 and Barça will try and avoid losing him for free, so must either sell or renew this summer. And there will be no lack of interested clubs if it's the former.
Barça considered selling or loaning Dembele out last summer. He had just come back from a long-term injury and there were talks with Manchester United. Koeman wasn't sure on him and preferred to bring in Memphis Depay. However, a deal didn't happen.
Since then, Dembele's earned his place in the team thanks to his injuries to teammates and his performances. We will see if he keeps his place when Ansu Fati returns.
Dembele and his people know that time is in their favour. Talks over a new deal are on ice until there's a new president. Dembele's always made it clear he is happy. In fact, in the summer he was reluctant to leave for the Premier League. But finances will play a part and Barça don't have much money.
If they can't agree terms on a new deal, Barça will be obliged to sell this summer. With one year to run on his deal, he will be highly sought-after, There aren't many pure wingers at his age and with his quality available. Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all following the situation. They could move in the summer... or wait until 2022 when he will be free.
If his performances keep up, Barça are going to try and keep him. And the reality is the player's ready to play his part, but nothing is guaranteed. It's one of the big issues awaiting the new president when he's elected.
