FC Barcelona don’t want to sell Ousmane Dembele for less than his release clause of €400m, despite the winger’s off-field problems at the club, according to reports in Spain.
Tuesday’s Mundo Deportivo claimed that Barcelona have now taken the stance that they don’t want to sell the winger in January. The player and his club have reportedly ‘left behind’ Dembele’s previous requests for a transfer, and they’re moving forward with him in their plans for the future.
The Spanish outlet claims Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG all previously believed they had a chance at signing the winger, for around €105m with add-ons. However, Barcelona will now only sell for the Frenchman’s full release clause of €400m.
As for Dembele himself, he’s probably feeling a bit happier at Barcelona after his recent performances. On Tuesday night, he scored his team’s only goal in a draw with Tottenham Hotspur. That brought him to an impressive nine goals and five assists for the season, one goal contribution every 93 minutes.
That’s not to say all the off-field problems have disappeared. Reports this week suggested he’s having to pay a fine for recently turning up late to training.
Reports Ousmane Dembele will have to pay a €100,000 fine for turning up late to training. He’s also been made to play against Spurs tonight, a far bigger inconvenience. Won’t be doing that again
— Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) December 11, 2018
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not as if Dembele will struggle to afford to pay. As long as he’s playing regularly, he’ll be pretty happy where he is.