Barcelona are doing well with their latest round of contract talks with winger Ousmane Dembele and are optimistic that an agreement will soon be reached.
The 24-year-old has entered the last year of his current deal and has fluctuated between wanting to leave and asking to stay. He thought he was keen to extend now, and Barcelona are keen to make that happen.
Dembele now wants to stay / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Barcelona have always wanted to keep Dembele, but have also threatened him with a year in the reserve if he does not extend. Charming.
A meeting was held with Dembele’s representatives last week, and according to Mundo Deportivo it went quite well. The two parties discussed everything from salary to potential minutes and no major obstacles were encountered.
Dembele had been worried about losing playing time in a stacked Barcelona attack that is now even more crowded after the arrival of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, but he has been promised the chance to become a regular starter on the right wing.
When Francisco Trincao leaves the club, Dembele is actually the only natural right winger in the squad at the moment, and that may still be the case even if Lionel Messi writes again when Ronald Koeman put in the Argentine as a central striker last season.
Barcelona have made it clear that they see Dembele as an important part of both their present and their future, and it seems that the Frenchman is now buying into what the club says.
Talks with Dembele’s agent will continue in the coming days, but from now on Barcelona are convinced that they will be able to find a deal eventually.
Dembele has been promised regular minutes / Alex Caparros / Getty Images
The negotiations always seemed to be tricky, but they became extra complicated when Dembele suffered a hamstring injury at Euro 2020 which forces him to miss the start of the upcoming La Liga season.
He is facing four months on the side and will probably not be seen in a Barcelona shirt again until November.
