• Transfer news

Ousmane Dembele: Agent slams Barcelona for stalling contract talks

Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona
Getty Images
Advertisement

The Catalans are struggling to tie the Frenchman down to a new contract due to his wage demands.

Ousmane Dembele is spending the final six months of his contract at Barcelona. The Spanish giants have been negotiating with the player’s representatives for months now. However, an agreement seems more unlikely than ever as the club struggle to satisfy the Frenchman’s wage demands.

According to Spanish sources, the club have already given up on their hopes to keep the player. However, they might punish him by freezing him out of the squad before his free move next summer.

In a new interview with RMC Sport, Demebele’s agent Moussa Sissoko spoke about his client’s contract situation.

He said (via Daily Mail): “They’re putting the pressure on, but it doesn’t work with people like us. 

“Maybe it works with agents who are close to Barcelona. That’s not the case with me, I’m here to defend my player’s interests.

“We’re not here to react to debates on social media, but the truth has to be said. Yes, we have high demands, but we’ve shown in the past that Ousmane’s career choices are not dictated by money, else he wouldn’t be here [Manchester United and Real Madrid had higher offers in 2017].

“Then, if Barcelona wanted to negotiate, they could have come to the table with us to talk. 

“Except there are no discussions and there are threats coming from them that he won’t play. 

“That’s not allowed. We will exercise Ousmane Dembele’s rights if necessary. 

“We don’t know what we’re going to do, nothing is decided. But the management are losing Ousmane by themselves. From the start, we’ve shown that we wanted to negotiate, with terms, but without closing the door.”

Barcelona are reportedly keen to sell Dembele this January to avoid a free departure, but finding suitors will be challenging.

The interested clubs can enter direct negotiations with the player from February, putting Barca in an even worse position. In case of a move, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Newcastle are the most likely destinations for Dembele.

x