Barcelona are thought to be considering terminating Ousmane Dembele’s contract five months earlier after failing to agree to a winger’s sale agreement on the final transfer date.
The Catalans lost their last chance to recoup even a small transfer fee of € 145m in 2017 when the January window closed. He is out of contract in the summer and is expected to leave as a free agent after the failure of previous renewal negotiations.
In Barcelona’s view, releasing him from his current contract will save them from paying a player for a player who has already been threatened with dismissal until the end of the campaign if he does not leave during the transfer window.
Negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain ended, and long-term interest from Tottenham have also not revealed a deal. Chelsea were linked but 90mins understand that while negotiations were underway, it was speculated that Dembele would move to Stamford Bridge for free in the summer – early in the deadline, reports in France had suggested that Chelsea would be his favorite.
With the window closed, Mundo Deportivo writes that Barça officials have discussed at a recent meeting ahead of a deadline that ‘serious action’ may be taken if the situation is left unresolved. That included the possibility of releasing him from his contract.
A meeting of party officials will be held on Tuesday and it is said that there are ‘voices’ that will oppose the revocation of Dembele’s contract.
The AS is also in charge of a meeting to be attended by coach Xavi. He is thought to be working with Dembele, who said the player could still be useful to the club and there is no need to fire the Frenchman if he ends up staying at Camp Nou until the end of his contract.
In the final report, canceling Dembele’s contract is listed as the third-best option, with the first condition remaining until summer, but it will still be seen as a member of the team or ice.
The Barça Board has an example when it comes to freezing individuals. Promising young Ilaix Moriba was not included after he refused to renew his contract last season, paving the way for a move to RB Leipzig. Dembele, however, in terms of his salary, is at a very different level.
