Ousmane Dembélé not leaving Barcelona now, but ‘prefers’ Chelsea — report

The Ousmane Dembélé saga has dominated the transfer market in the last few days, but despite the rumor mill’s best efforts, Chelsea have remained largely in the periphery. And that’s precisely where we remain at the moment.

Meanwhile, Dembélé remains in his current state as well, as a highly paid outcast at Barcelona who will be a free agent in six months — which makes Barca’s supposed asking price of €20m rather laughable. Not even PSG were willing to waste cash that frivolously, scuppering that move rather quickly as well.

L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) add that the 24-year-old “prefers Chelsea” among those in the supposed running for his signature once he leaves Barcelona at the end of the season. In fact, they expect his future to be solidified in the March-April timeframe, even, potentially reuniting him with his coach from Borussia Dortmund.

There is one dissenting report from this evolving narrative, with ABC Deportes claiming that Dembélé to Chelsea is “99% done” with Barca then signing Aubameyang on loan from Arsenal, talks over which have broken down due to financial considerations.