Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that Ernesto Valverde and Ousmane Dembele will be staying at Barcelona this summer.
There had been suggestions that Valverde’s position was not secure, despite leading Barca to a domestic double, with murmurs of discontent over the Coach’s unadventurous playing style, while Dembele had been linked with a loan move away after a difficult start to life at Camp Nou.
Nonetheless, the President told RAC1: “We’re happy with Valverde.
“Real Madrid in the Champions League doesn’t affect us. We’re very happy about the double.
“Will Valverde coach Barca next season? Yes. It hasn’t crossed my mind that he won’t. He wants to stay.
“Umtiti? He has a contract. Talks to extend it are ongoing, but renewals must always be within a balanced structure. We’ll try to reach an agreement.
“Dembele leaving? It’s not on the table. We’re coming to the end of the season and after that, there will be meetings.
“He’s an investment for the future. He’s very young and we expect a lot from him. When a player comes to Barca, it’s because Valverde wants them.
“Neymar? He can do whatever he wants. If he goes to Madrid, we’ll play against him. We were surprised about how he left.
“It’s difficult for Neymar to return to the club. There are players who are coming up from Barca B.
“My future? My term finishes in June 2020. I haven’t said that I’ll leave, I have a responsibility and I want to fulfil it.
“I won’t be able to put myself forward again, but there’s still a lot of work to be done over whether there’ll be a candidate from within the board.”
