Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi may have sent his club a subtle message over the future of Ousmane Dembele amid transfer gossip linking him with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool recently.
The Argentina international was full of praise for Dembele’s recent form, saying the club need him after his impressive contribution of either scoring or assisting seven goals in his last seven games for the Catalan giants.
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“We are happy for Dembele. Today he has scored again and is animated and will do very well. We need Dembele,’ Messi is quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
This could be a blow for both Liverpool and Arsenal, who have been linked with Dembele by the Daily Star as they translate a report from El Confidencial stating he could be allowed to leave the Nou Camp for the right price.
It may be that Messi disagrees and wants the 21-year-old to stay put, in which case both Liverpool and Arsenal would have to look elsewhere for a signing up front.
There’s no question Dembele would surely improve either the Reds or the Gunners right now, with Jurgen Klopp in need of more options outside of his first choice front three, while Unai Emery’s side still lack that extra bit of quality to make them genuine title contenders.