Report: Highly-rated winger on Chelsea’s radar rejects final contract, wants free transfer

Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele turns down latest Barcelona offer

Chelsea are hopeful of landing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele on a free transfer, should the Frenchman not renew his contract at Camp Nou. Dembele has seemingly rejected Barcelona’s latest and final offer, all but confirming the end of his Blaugrana spell. 

The 25-year-old was Barcelona’s marquee acquisition in the summer of 2017, which would see him fill the void left behind by the high-profile departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain. It has been a topsy-turvy ride since. 

Dembele has scored 32 goals and provided 34 assists in his 149 games for Barcelona, demonstrating his incredible ability and explosive nature when on swansong, but often equally as frustrating. Numerous injuries and long spells on the touchline didn’t do him any favour either. 

His contract is now on the verge of running its course, and according to Spanish outlet AS (h/t Daily Mail), Dembele has turned down Barcelona’s latest and final offer and wants to leave the club on a free transfer.

Finding a new club was never going to be a headache for the Frenchman. PSG have shown interest in bringing Dembele back to his native, but it seems like Chelsea are in the driving seat. 

The perfect reunion?

A factor driving Chelsea’s interest in Dembele is Thomas Tuchel. Owing to their time together at Borussia Dortmund, the German is no stranger to the winger who he helped nurture into one of the world’s most promising, young talents. 

Dembele lasted only one season at Dortmund. So high was his stock, Die Schwarzgelben couldn’t keep hold of an incredible talent who seemed destined for greatness. During his 50 games for the club, Dembele scored 10 times and racked up an astonishing 22 assists. 

A Tuchel-Dembele reunion at SW6 seems like a great idea on paper. The Chelsea boss gets an outrageously talented player, Dembele gets a new challenge in his career which he seems to be yearning for, and Barcelona get to write off the winger’s wages from their debt-clad finances. 

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• Report: Chelsea set to submit €40m bid for top South American defender
• Injury News: Chelsea superstar withdraws from international duty due to fitness issue

It’s a win-win for everyone. Does it solve Chelsea’s attacking crisis? That’s a complicated one to answer at this point. But we can’t know that without trying and signing a player of his calibre on a free, this seems like a risk worth taking.