Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out of action for six months with a thigh injury, the club have confirmed.
The Frenchman had to stop training early last week which was initially reportedly as a result of muscular fatigue, but it has now been confirmed he will be ruled out until August.
The initial reports added that Dembele was involved in a three-on-three training exercise and is said to have has suffered “discomfort in the right thigh due to muscle fatigue.”
The France international – who has been plagued by injuries since moving to the Camp Nou in the summer of 2017 – pulled up in the 25th minute of the clash against his former club Borussia Dortmund in late November and has not featured since.
Tests had confirmed Dembele had sustained a muscle injury in his right thigh and the 22-year-old was set to be out for a minimum of two months, and recently he has returned to first-team training.
Dembele has played only three full matches for the Spanish champions this season and has had to sit out earlier in the campaign due to a separate thigh injury.
He now joins Luis Suarez on the sidelined with the Uruguayan unlikely to make a return to first-team football this season, while Carles Perez was sold to Roma last month.
Barcelona will be allowed to make a forward signing from another Spanish club due to the nature of the injury, should they agree terms.
