Official : Barcelona sign Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona have successfully brought in a replacement for Neymar

Barcelona have brought a very capable replacement for Neymar to the Camp Nou. The Catalans have been publicly chasing Ousmane Dembele, but an agreement between the two parties took place today.

The club announced the signing in a statement in their official website.

The statement read :

"FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund have reached an agreement for the transfer of Ousmane Dembélé for 105 million euros plus add-ons. The player will sign a five year contract and his buy out-clause is set at 400 million euros.Dembélé will arrive in Barcelona on Sunday and he will undergo a medical on Monday morning local time."

Dembele will be wearing the shirt number 11, Neymar’s old number.

Although it is not the €150 million initially reported, a fee of €105 million is still significant. It is the second-most expensive transfer, after the €222 million paid by Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar.

But there is still a doubt as to how Ernesto Valverde will use Dembele. Neymar was right-footed and he could cut in from the left, but Dembele is left-footed. Therefore, he cannot cut in. Valverde can use him as a winger, but not a proper left forward.

That means, from now onwards, we are going to see more crosses from the left wing than dribbles. Although Dembele is brilliant at taking on defenders, he can only do so from the right wing, which is occupied by Lionel Messi.

But however, Dembele is a fine replacement for Neymar. He is one of the best young players in the world and has a bright future. But taking into consideration today’s inflated market, his release clause of €400 million may seem to be reasonable in a couple of years.

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But as of now, Ernesto Valverde should sleep peacefully. After a torrid window this summer, signing Paulinho and selling Neymar, the Barcelona board should now have something to cheer about.