Setiens ‘signs’ Ousmane Dembele for Barcelona – rules out transfer exit

Ousmane Dembele is set to be like a new signing for Barcelona Coach Quique Setien, who has ruled out the forward’s exit from the Camp Nou.

That is according to Friday’s front page of El Mundo Deportivo, which claims that the Frenchman has the total faith of the club’s boss and there is no plan to sell him this summer.

Dembele has not featured for Barcelona’s first-team since November – and not at all under Setien – due to long-term injuries while his fitness has blighted his time at the Camp Nou since his 2017 switch from Borussia Dortmund.

A report in El Mundo Deportivo earlier this month said the Blaugrana would only sell Dembele for a ‘golden offer’ but Diario AS  claimed that many at the Catalan giants had run out of patience with the French forward while Diario Sport said Liverpool held an interest in the player.]

Dembele’s alleged lack of discipline with his diet away from training is believed to be leading to him sustaining multiple injuries at the Camp Nou having never previously suffered them.

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 despite returning to first-team training he suffered a fresh setback and will be out until August at the earliest.

Dembele has played only three full matches for the Spanish champions this season and also had to sit out earlier in the campaign due to a separate thigh injury.

It has been the forward’s worst season in terms of injuries at Barça – the player has played nine games out of a possible 37, 492 minutes out of 3,330 possible (14.77%).

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