Barcelona ‘fail to solve’ Ousmane Dembélé contract in ‘last-ditch meeting’ — reports

Ousmane Dembélé’s current contract with Barcelona officially expires in two days, and even though that doesn’t really change the situation in any kind of practical sense, it is seen as a sort of deadline for him to make a decision.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, his options have not changed or improved in the last month of indecision, and if some of the latest report are any indication, they may have actually gotten worse. Neither Barcelona nor Chelsea have seemingly improved the offers that have been tabled, and Barca may have in fact lowered theirs (or at least the agent component) as they continue to get creative in solving their financial problems. According to reports a “last-ditch” meeting yesterday between the relevant parties has “failed to solve” the gap, with Barcelona not able to produce a “sufficient” offer.

Dembélé, who has been linked steadily with Chelsea and former coach Thomas Tuchel since January, seems to prefer staying, but that preference is being stretched to the limit with the nearly 50 per cent salary cut that Barcelona have been proposing. If we want Dembélé, it shouldn’t be very hard to put together (or to have put together) an attractive alternative, and maybe he will in fact make a decision at some point soon-ish.