Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele to stay at Barcelona until the summer as deadline day move collapses
Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele will remain at Barcelona until the end of the season, despite multiple offers coming in for the winger, including from three different Premier League clubs this month.
The winger has been subject to much speculation and transfer gossip regarding his future with Barcelona, with the Catalan club handing the player an ultimatum to either sign a new contract at the Camp Nou or look for another club last month. With the Blues looking for creative attacking options to bolster their squad, Dembele was seen as a potential transfer target.
Spanish news outlet ABC (h/t Daily Mail) reported that Dembele was close to signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues, as head coach Thomas Tuchel was interested in linking up with the player who he managed while at Borussia Dortmund. However, the German did not drop any hints about a possible reunion at Stamford Bridge.
“I have no idea about his situation with Barca. He is a very good player when he is in good shape. I was very lucky to train him at Dortmund. It only lasted a year but I wish it had been longer. I left and so did he.”
Chelsea have had a torrid few weeks in front of goal, lacking any creativity and confidence to beat opposing defences and score goals. This has led to the club dropping crucial points in drab draws, seeing the Blues effectively ruled out of the title race in the Premier League.
England move scuppered
It was revealed by Sportsmail last week that the 24-year-old was available for just £18m in January. For a player that is considered to be a world-class talent, the cut-price offer for the Frenchman would have sent many clubs turning their heads for securing Dembele’s services this month.
Speaking to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Mail), Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirmed that the club had received offers for Dembele from multiple Premier League clubs. However, the Frenchman is now set to stay in Catalonia till the end of the season.
“Various solutions have been proposed. The last one depends on whether the player accepts it, it is to go to an English club.”
For a World Cup winner stuck in limbo at his club, Chelsea could very easily have offered Dembele an escape route and added him to our plethora of attackers for the remainder of the season. This proves to also be an attractive option, with a chance to win silverware available with the Blues – something that does not look possible at Barcelona this season.
Further, a possible reunion with Tuchel is something that might appeal to the Frenchman if Chelsea makes the right offer. The German was influential in the winger’s performances at Dortmund, turning him into a world-class talent.
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With the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup very much up for the taking, we could have used someone like Dembele upfront as his mazy dribbles and trickery on the flanks could have provided us with another option in attack. Our current crop of attackers have failed to hit their predicted heights, and a loan deal for the France international could have proved to be a shrewd deal.
With Dembele now set to stay at Barcelona till the end of the summer, we could possibly return to snap up the Frenchman at the end of the season as a free agent. It remains to be seen whether the winger will sign a new contract with the Spanish giants in the coming months, but as things stand, we stand as good a chance as any team to lure the player to Stamford Bridge next summer.