Laporta Speaks On Dembele Contract Renewal And Vows FC Barcelona Are Fighting For La Liga Title

Joan Laporta has spoken on a number of topics concerning the future of FC Barcelona including the contract renewals of Ousmane Dembele, Gavi and Ronald Araujo while also vowing that the club will fight for the La Liga title.

Laporta spoke to Mundo Deportivo with his comments published on Saturday morning. Dembele is currently at an impasse after refusing to accept the contract renewal offer made to him in January while looking set to leave the Blaugrana on June 30, possibly to PSG.

Contrary to rumors, however, and in light of improved form under coach Xavi Hernandez who refused to send him to the stands until the end of the season, Laporta confirmed that there is no news that the Frenchman wishes to continue at Camp Nou.

“Dembele is a wonderful, charming boy, [or] at least he hasn’t caused us problems since we took charge of the club,” Laporta insisted. “Perhaps we are seeing the best Dembele since [joined] Barca, for sure. He is a player that the coaches have known how to manage better, starting with Xavi who is managing [things] wonderfully for the player.

“But we made him a renewal offer that expired on December 20 last year. He decided not to take advantage of that renewal. Now Xavi says that he was counting on him because he is a player who makes a difference. Now, [the] renewal of Dembele? Let’s see, the option he had has expired and we are already setting salary levels that all those who stay next season will have to accept. Some levels that have to [be established to] maintain the sustainability and balance of the club and the squad,” Laporta added.

Young pearls Gavi and Ronald Araujo also have their contracts winding down, but Laporta sees good progress being made there.

“Well, this is on the right track,” Laporta said. “Yes, they are players that we want to continue, within these salary levels that we are establishing. We would like them to continue for many years.”

“Everything is going perfectly normally with Araujo and Gavi,” the president insisted.

Despite his team being 12 points behind leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand, Laporta has clearly been buoyed by the 4-0 win over Los Blancos in El Clasico last weekend and vowed that Barca are “going for the league”.

“I say this because the team is improving, the season has ups and downs, it’s true. Madrid have to enter a low phase, because they have kept thirteen or fourteen fixed players, and we have had more versatility.”

“We have had low moments especially at the beginning and now we are in a good moment and we face this last stretch with the hope of being able to compete for the Liga. We are at twelve points [behind], if we beat Rayo we will be at nine and we have to think that we have to win all the games. It is a very big challenge but we like challenges and the whole club has this mentality,” Laporta finished on this.