Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has issued a plea to Ousmane Dembele over his importance to the club.
French international Dembele netted a dramatic 90th winner to secure a late 1-0 victory at home to Real Valladolid and keep Koeman’s side in the La Liga title race.
However, with 12 months left on his current contract at the Camp Nou, the former Borussia Dortmund star has been linked with a potential move to Italy or England this summer.
But despite the speculation, Koeman has confirmed he wants to keep the 23-year old in Catalonia.
“I would like Dembele to stay, he is an important player for us,” as per reports from Marca.
“Today, he has shown that with his game and the goal. The key is that he has physically improved and has been able to play a lot of games in a row.”
Dembele has scored ten goals in all competitions for Barcelona so far in 2020/21 and he could break his best return of 14 goals in 2018/19, at the club in the coming weeks.
Koeman’s side now face a crucial El Clasico tie against Real Madrid this weekend before taking on Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final seven days later as the Dutch boss aims for a domestic double in his first season in charge at the club.
