Barcelona could reportedly be open to allowing Ousmane Dembele to leave for just €42m this summer as they look to get his hefty salary off the books.
The 22-year-old joined the Catalan giants from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 but he has been limited to just 74 appearances since as his spell at the Camp Nou has been blighted by injury problems throughout.
In those outings he has bagged 19 goals and 17 assists, thus suggesting that he can play an important role for the Catalan giants if he can just stay fit, but question marks are seemingly being raised over his future at the club as he continues his latest recovery from a setback with a hamstring problem sidelining him since December.
Dembele’s current contract runs until 2022, and it’s now suggested that coupled with his limited impact, his salary could force Barcelona into trying to offload him this summer.
As reported by Sport, via TMW, and also covered by Marca, it’s suggested that Barca could be ready to let him leave for just €42m with Paris Saint-Germain named as a potential destination for the French international.
That in turn could help them raise funds perhaps for their own transfer targets ahead of next season, while it would also clear his €12m-a-year salary plus €6.6m in variables off their books to give them a financial boost too, as per the reports above.
As noted by BBC Sport. the reigning La Liga champions were said to have splashed out a whopping £135.5m on Dembele in 2017 if all add-ons are paid, and so to cut their losses for just €42m would surely be a blow in itself and a big decision.
Nevertheless, if he can’t prove his fitness and steer clear of injuries to offer a reliable and consistent option in the final third, perhaps it makes sense to try and move in a different direction.
Time will tell how the current campaign concludes and if Dembele is able to play a part in it, but based on the report above, it sounds as though Barcelona are prepared to approve of an exit and it could give them a crucial economic boost if they were able to offload him in order to target a replacement.
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