Xavi Hernandez hopes that Ousmane Dembele will stay at Barcelona
Barcelona are in one of the most crucial moments of their season as it is the transfer window. The club will have to be authoritative and sell some of their Deadwood players who are not performing but just making it more difficult for the club to sign new players. Apart from these unwanted players, Barca will also need to renew the contract of some of their crucial players, Ousmane Dembele being their number one priority at the moment. The Catalan winger was close to signing a new deal with the club with reduced wages however, his agent changed his mind at the last moment and now negotiations have been extended.
The main problem for Dembele right now is the wages. The player was ready to accept lower wages at one point however, new reports suggest that he felt disrespected by the fact that Barca was reducing his wage but still going for Erling Haaland. However, the fact of the matter is that Barca has the money to sign players but they need to abide by the la liga rules and regulations.
Barcelona boss talks contract situation of Ousmane Dembele
Xavi Hernandez mentioned the Dembele controversy in a recent press conference, saying,
"“At Barcelona we have a clear position and we are still in the process, it is not over. We have to wait. I have spoken with [Dembele] again and I think it is possible and I hope that Ousmane will make the effort to stay. He has a fantastic offer, but there is always a tug of war.”Source Goal"
Xavi went on to say that he did have a talk with the star man and he relied on the fact that Barca is a sporting project and financial issues should be secondary. At the moment, the Catalans are ready to use Dembele as their main man, their star player and he will be featured heavily. No other team can give him this much support or commitment and Barca has been with him even through his multiple injuries. Dembele must now decide whether he is in it for the future of the club or only for the short-term monetary gains.
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Should Barca keep or sell Ousmane Dembele?