Barcelona confident of Ousmane Dembele renewal despite slowing talks and previous precedent

Barcelona have more plates spinning than they have digits on the end of their hands. Currently the club are dealing with all of the usual management of a top football club alongside various crisis management situations.

The club must slash their wage bill by €200m to fit into their salary limit, they are trying to redevelop Camp Nou, and get their €1.5b Espai Barca project off the ground too. In addition, El Caso Negreira threatens to destabilise all of those operations too.

According to MD, it has also slowed down contract talks. The priority is to ensure they can register all of their agreed contracts first, most famously Gavi, before committing to new ones.

Previously the club were keen to get a deal done with Ousmane Dembele as soon as possible. He has been one of their best performers this season, and given their last round of negotiations with Dembele led to the Frenchman running down his contract, that is understandable.

However talks with Dembele have now slowed, on account of it falling down the priority list. The Blaugrana are not concerned by this though, as they feel he wants to stay – while terms need to be negotiated, both sides want a deal.

Dembele is out of contract in 2024, and it would be no surprise if several clubs of means did test both of the resolve of the club and the player this summer. Other sides may try to persuade him to run down his contract too. Even if it is understandable that they are occupied with other matters, the longer Barcelona leave it, the greater the risk is that he will leave, or worse, leave for free.

 

Image via AP Photo/Joan Monfort

Tags Barcelona Ousmane Dembele
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