Prized French wonderkid snubs Premier League giants despite manager’s personal phone call

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Rennes attacker Ousmane Dembele was grateful to have received a personal phone call from Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri – but not enough to accept an offer from the Premier League champions’ manager.

According to the Daily Mail via Ouest-France, the 18-year-old attacker admitted to speaking with Ranieri over the phone recently, but stated that he would not be joining Leicester City, adding that he already knows where he’s going when he leaves Rennes.

‘I had Claudio Ranieri on the phone,’ Dembele said.

‘I was surprised to hear from him, I told him that I will not go to Leicester.’

‘I know where I am going.’

Dembele is one of the mostly highly-sought after teens in Europe, drawing interest from Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and even Barcelona and Bayern Munich as well.

Leicester City might be in need of a new winger with PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez reportedly receiving calls from across Europe for his services.

Dembele has 12 goals and five assists in Ligue 1 this season – his first with the French outfit’s senior squad. He has also been capped twice for the Under-21 team.

Follow Jonathan Machlin on Twitter @jtmlovessports

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