- 16 Apr 2024
Dembele to play whilst in the shop window for Barca
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 17 May 2021 22:26 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are set to give Ousmane Dembele a much more prominent role in the starting line-up while also making him available for a transfer away from the club in January or the summer.
The Catalan club are currently in dire straits financially, having been hit majorly by the current coronavirus crisis and are looking to offload a few players who they believe would ease that burden.
Dembele is one of the players up for sale and was reportedly close to joining Manchester United in the summer on loan with the obligation to buy, only for the player to decide to fight for his place at the Camp Nou.
Injuries and a lack of form has hampered his tenure at Barca since his mega money transfer from Dortmund in 2017, while he has also been on the periphery of the starting XI in 2020/21 under new head coach Ronald Koeman.
He has made three starts in La Liga so far, scoring one goal.
Now, however, he is set to be given significantly more playing time due to an injury suffered by Ansu Fati, who usurped him in the pecking order for a spot in the wide positions last season. The 18-year-old will miss four months of action due to a knee injury, which has opened an opportunity for Dembele.
Although it is unlikely the Frenchman will be thrown straight into the starting line-up, with even 17-year-old Pedri preferred on the right wing at the moment, he will undoubtedly see more action than previously anticipated.
However, according to AS, this hasn’t changed Barcelona’s plans to put him in the shop window, as they are keen to get as much money as possible for Dembele either in January or in the summer due to him having just 18 months left on his current contract.
As time goes by, so does his potential transfer valuation, and Barcelona currently can’t afford to take the chance of him leaving for free due to their financial situation.
Dembele actually scored a superb goal against Betis at the weekend, but that match was a prime example of why Barcelona aren’t as keen on him as before, as although he showed danger going forward, his tactical know-how simply wasn’t there, with right-back Sergi Roberto regularly isolated against two players on the right wing.
