FC Barcelona And Xavi Ready To Wash Hands Of Dembele To Prioritize Raphinha Signing

FC Barcelona and their head coach Xavi Hernandez are ready to wash their hands of Ousmane Dembele in order to prioritize the signing of Raphinha from Leeds United.

Ending a five-year tenure at the club after joining on a €105mn ($106mn) deal from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Dembele became a free agent after June 30 and has thus far not decided to accept the proposal offered to him by the club.

This is believed to pay him around €6-7mn ($6.06-7.07mn) euros like teenagers Ansu Fati and Pedri currently take home, but the 25-year-old is dragging his heels under the misguidance of agent Moussa Sissoko despite reports that he wants to stay.

At the weekend, there were also claims of how it was believed offering Dembele a contract renewal should not affect the potential arrival of Raphinha, for whom Barca launched a €60mn ($60.6mn) bid last Friday.

It was said that Barca thought both men could operate in the same squad, yet according to fresh reports this week from AS and Mundo Deportivo, the situation has now changed.

Now, it seems, it has become a clear cut case of choosing between one man or the other, and AS say that Xavi Hernandez opts for Raphinha and is therefore ready to wash his hands of Dembele.

Amid the Porto Alegre native’s club Leeds United allegedly giving Barca an ultimatum to speed things up, it is also suspected that Raphinha arriving in Catalonia will also cause Dembele to retreat.

Fearing his minutes will be reduced with the arrival of one of the PremierPINC
League’s best performers in their shared position last season, Dembele will be pushed to look elsewhere to ply his trade.

His name has often been linked to Chelsea, who have also been in the hunt for Raphinha with a £55mn ($66mn) bid accepted by Leeds United last week. Yet the west Londoners have also agreed personal terms with Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling as part of a £45mn package and may also, like Barca, not have space for Dembele.

Playing hardball with Barca, and not accepting their renewal offer at the turn of 2022, could see World Cup winner Dembele frozen out altogether in the elite.