Ousmane Dembele has made it clear to Barcelona that he still wants to stay and fight for his future at the club despite long-time suitors Liverpool making an offer, according to reports.
The Frenchman has struggled to live up to expectation since moving to Barcelona and has endured a frustrating canpaign, struggling with injury and being reprimanded for showing up late to training.
Barca are currently dealing with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic – to such an extent that they even asked players to take a second pay cut – and are prepared to cash in on some first-team players.
Dembele is perhaps the biggest name on the list they could get rid of, with Juventus making a play to sign the winger in a swap deal for Miralem Pjanic.
Liverpool have also reignited their interest in the France international and see him as a better value than Timo Werner – with Barca’s asking price as low as £40m while RB Leipzig will demand that Werner’s £50m release clause is met.
According to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have already approached Barcelona and the player’s camp over a loan with an option to sign permanently.
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However, Dembele has no desire to leave Barcelona and has turned down Liverpool’s interest, as well as that of Juve, stressing that he sees his future at the club and wants to win back his place in the team.
Dembele has only played five games for Barca in La Liga this campaign, suffering a hamstring at the end of last year – so serious, in fact, that he was ruled out for the rest of the season meaning he is not even registered to play when football returns in Spain.
Despite his difficulties this season, Dembele is still highly thought of at Camp Nou, with new managet Quique Setien prepared to give him a chance to prove himself – though they are overloaded with attacking options and need to sell some players.
Juve have also tried to sign Arthur as part of the deal for Pjanic, while Dembele’s insistence on staying at the club will increase the likelihood of Coutinho leaving.
