Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has admitted that he hopes to be able to look forward to Ousmane Dembele putting an end to speculation about his future by signing a new contract.
The 23-year-old has shaken off a lot of his injuries and had a fantastic campaign for Barcelona, and he appeared with a 90-minute winner over Real Valladolid on Monday to move La Blaugrana just one point behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
An absolutely MASSIVE goal from Ousmane Dembele! ?
Barca get a late breakthrough and look to pick up a colossal win in the LaLiga title race ?? pic.twitter.com/4nx3KdldDW
– Premier Sports? (@PremierSportsTV) April 5, 2021
His good form has not gone unnoticed, but many sides across Europe are believed to be keeping a close eye on Dembele in hopes of taking advantage of his expired contract. He has two years left of his current business and talks about new terms seem to be taking longer.
“Of course he is an important player, he has shown today with his game and especially with his goal,” said Koeman (via Marca) when asked about his future. “Ousmane’s season has been very good, physically he has improved a lot, that is the key to his consistency. If it’s up to me, of course I want him to stay with us. ”
Barcelona are not blind to Dembele’s abilities and are working hard to seal an extension. Fabrizio Romano notes that President Joan Laporta has made securing his future one of his top priorities, but talks continue to linger.
Koeman wants to keep Dembele | Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Mundo Deportivo recently took a deep dive into Dembele’s situation. It is understood that both Manchester United and Juventus are following him closely and are already trying to put together offers, and Barcelona fear that he may be affected by the money offered.
Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are also believed to be monitoring things, and although their interest is not as concrete as United or Juventus, both teams see a price agreement for Dembele as something they can not pass on.
Barcelona are keen to block the noise and tie Dembele to a new deal, but there is an awareness that if he does not sign in, he will have to be sold this summer while his value is at its highest.
Dembele warms up at the right time Alex Caparros / Getty Images
Dembele has been one of the most important parts of Koeman’s first team this season, although the statistics sheet does him no justice.
His return of ten goals and four assists in 36 games hardly makes the blood pump, but even though he may not get the numbers, it is his movement and creativity away from the goal that has been hailed as the key to Barcelona’s turnaround.
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