Barcelona: Joan Laporta provides transfer update on Dembele

Barcelona are trying to figure out a solution for Dembele’s situation in the final hours of the transfer window.

Barcelona are having a busy deadline day. The Catalans are trying to solve two of their most important of the January window. The club are negotiating with Arsenal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to close a free move while keeping an eye on their long-running saga of Ousmane Dembele.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken to Mundo Deportivo about Dembele’s situation.

He said (via Fabrizio Romano): “We presented one last option to Ousmane Dembélé.”

He added: “A number of different solutions have been offered and the final one depends on the player accepting leaving for an English club.”

According to several English sources, Tottenham are not pursuing a deal for Dembele. This leaves Chelsea as the main suitor in the race to sign the Frenchman.

In recent days reports of a verbal agreement between Dembele and Paris Saint-Germain have also emerged in French media. However, it seems the Ligue 1 giants are only interested in a free summer move.

Barcelona have already made their feelings clear over this scenario. The club’s sporting director Matteo Alemani accused Dembele of lack of commitment after negotiations over a new deal collapsed between the Frenchman and the club.

“It seems obvious to us that the player does not want to continue at Barcelona,” Alemany said.

“He is not committed to Barca’s future project.

“We told him and his agents that he must leave the club immediately. Because we want to have players committed to the project.

“We expect a transfer to take place before January 31. The sporting consequence is that we don’t want to have players who don’t want to be at Barca.”