FC Barcelona Offer Ousmane Dembele New Contract Until 2028, Player Wants To Stay: Reports

FC Barcelona have offered a long-term contract renewal to their forward Ousmane Dembele who wants to stay at the club, according to MARCA.

The Frenchman last agreed fresh terms in 2022 as the original five-year deal he signed when joining from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €105 million ($114.6 million) neared expiry.

Dembele only committed until June 30, 2024, however, and perhaps more worrying than him becoming a free agent in roughly 12 months and three weeks is the fact that his contract contains a paltry €50 million ($54 million) release clause that has reportedly put the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich on alert.

That Dembele and his agent Moussa Sissoko can pocket half that fee has been of concern to Barca fans. If MARCA‘s report on Thursday afternoon is accurate, however, their fears might soon be put to rest.

Barca’s sporting directors Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff met with Sissoko a fortnight ago according to the Spanish daily sports newspaper.

And while no figures were discussed, the two parties “made their intentions clear”. Through Sissoko, Dembele allegedly expressed a desire not to exercise the release clause and instead commit his future to the Blaugrana.

Barca are aware that Dembele keeps his word when given and will send a formal offer to extend until 2028 in the coming weeks. Over at SPORT, they report that the offer runs until 2027.

Regardless of the contract’s length, Barca would like to have an agreement signed and sealed before June 30 when Alemany leaves to take up a new position at Aston Villa.

Getting Dembele to put pen to paper long term would be considered a major victory for the departing Alemany and his current employers before Alemany heads to the Premier
PINC
League.

With Ansu Fati, Raphinha and Ferran Torres all up for sale this summer, Dembele is Xavi’s number one choice in a 4-3-3 that deploys Gavi as a false left winger and only has space for one pure wideman on the right.

Even though he could take offers for much higher pay elsewhere, Dembele will also prove himself loyal to cash-strapped Barca by continuing in Catalonia.