It’s been a struggle for Ousmane Dembele in his first season at Barcelona, and speculation has been linking him with a move to Liverpool this summer.
The 20-year-old arrived from Borussia Dortmund in a deal that could reach £135.5m in total, as noted by the BBC Sport, and so expectations and pressure are high for the youngster.
However, injuries and poor form have been a real problem for him, as he’s been restricted to just 20 appearances for the Catalan giants this season, scoring two goals and providing eight assists.
Beyond the fitness setbacks though, there have been signs he has struggled to adapt to Barcelona’s style of play, which is understandable as it would likely be difficult for any young player to immediately find his feet and build up chemistry with his new teammates.
In turn, whether or not the La Liga champions opt to show patience and give him another season next year remains to be seen, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has jokingly responded to speculation linking the Reds with a summer swoop.
“Is he on the market? Now I’m interested,” the German tactician said, as seen in the video below, when asked by a reporter over whether or not Liverpool were pushing ahead with a deal.
Evidently, it took Klopp by surprise and so that would suggest that he’s either remaining very coy on the matter or indeed has no idea that Liverpool are looking to sign Dembele or Lyon’s Nabil Fekir who was also specifically mentioned.
Losing Philippe Coutinho in January seemingly hasn’t had too big a negative impact on the Merseyside giants as they’ve progressed to the Champions League final, while Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have continued to lead the way impressively.
Perhaps in terms of having quality and depth in the attacking positions next season though to complete on multiple fronts, adding a player like Dembele who would arguably be well suited to the style of play at Anfield, could be a sensible signing for both parties.