Barcelona star, Ousmane Dembele is supposedly being targeted by the Italian side, Juventus, according to the Italian news outlet, CalcioMercato. The French winger is reaching the last year of his contract and apparently, the Italian giants are hoping to secure him on a free transfer in 2022. The player has been a disappointment for the Catalans mostly however, he has been picking up his socks recently and it would be a huge loss for the club to lose the player on a free transfer.
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The 23-year-old World Cup winner was picked up from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for 105 million euros. The winger was supposed to be a direct replacement for Neymar who left in the same year for Paris Saint-Germain. This, however, was not the case and Dembele reached nowhere near Neymar’s level. On the contrary, his Barcelona career was riddled with injuries and controversies which stopped him from reaching his true potential.
He was planned on being sold this season to Manchester United in order to raise some funds for the transfer of Memphis Depay however, the French player was stubborn and believed that he could still provide for the Catalans. This turned out to be true as he is having a more or less decent season under the guidance of Ronald Koeman. He has managed to score 10 goals this season along with four assists and Barcelona sit in the third position, only two points behind the league leaders.
Ousmane Dembele optimistic about Barcelona future despite Juventus interest
His performance this season has perked the interest of Juventus however, it is unlikely that the Blaugrana will let him go for free. Dembele also desires to continue playing at Barcelona and there have been rumors that the club is willing to offer him a three years extension. Speaking to BeIng Sport about his career, he said,
"‘My future? I still have a year of contract left. There hasn’t been a discussion with the club yet, I’m happy, and I feel good.”Source Calcio Mercato"
We must wait and see if the Catalans do indeed give him an extension or not. Should they not the winger will most probably be sold next season. The Catalans also have Lionel Messi to worry about so they must make their decision wisely.
Should Barca refrain from selling Ousmane Dembele to Juventus?