According to Le Parisien, Ousmane Dembele has told Barcelona that he wouldn’t like to be a part of any swap deal for Neymar. It is believed that the Catalans are willing to offload the Frenchman in favour of signing the PSG star. But, Dembele’s refusal to move to the French capital could potentially complicate matters, especially with the transfer window coming to a close.
Dembele’s struggles at Barcelona
Dembele initially moved to Barcelona back in 2017, in a whopping €125 million (excluding addons) move from Borussia Dortmund. The 22-year-old endured a difficult first season in Catalonia, featuring in only 930 minutes of league football.
His gametime was drastically minimised due to an unfortunate hamstring injury that kept him out on the sidelines for more than 100 days. The injury issues weren’t as prominent the next campaign. But, even then, the youngster mustered only 1,669 minutes of league football, scoring seven goals.
He showed glimpses of his talent, but overall, the Frenchman genuinely struggled to live up to his incredibly hefty price tag of €125 million.
A move to PSG is logical
The potential addition of Neymar is sure to phase Dembele out of Barcelona’s starting lineup, even if Ernesto Valverde appoints an extra attacker by deploying a 4-2-3-1. And this could take a significant toll on his overall development, having already suffered two dismal seasons at Barca.
A move to PSG, therefore, is quite logical. The French champions don’t really have any natural wingers, with Angel Di Maria playing in a more central role. And the departure of Neymar will allow the 22-year-old to become a prominent part of the PSG setup.
Besides, it will hand him the opportunity of returning to his homeland, where he had initially risen into prominence with Stade Rennais.
Should Barcelona force him out of the club?
Barcelona cannot necessarily force Dembele out of the club, with the player still having a contract till 2022. This is unless the Catalans opt to terminate his contract, which would presumably require a lot of compensation fees. They should instead look to convince the winger to move to PSG in search of regular playtime that could help him become a vital part of the French national team in the coming years.
Additionally, it’s also necessary that Valverde clarifies that Dembele will not be included in his plans once Neymar returns to Catalonia. But, either way, the Frenchman’s decision could play a vital role in this complicated transfer saga, and it will be interesting to see how it pans out in the coming weeks.
