Arsenal and Chelsea alerted as Luis Enrique rant adds to Ousmane Dembele tension

24 Aug 2026 08:01 BST | 5 min read

Luis Enrique, Ousmane Dembele, PSG, 2026/27 — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Arsenal and Chelsea have been put on transfer alert after PSG head coach Luis Enrique launched a furious rant aimed partially towards Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele following his side’s opening Ligue 1 match of the season.

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The two-time defending Champions League winners had to come from 2-0 down to secure an opening-day draw with Rennes away from home – with Ferran Torres coming off the bench to score a debut double.

Spain’s World Cup hero replaced Dembele at half-time while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was also hauled off at the break, with Luis Enrique slamming the attitude of both when he spoke to the media.

Current ETV

Ousmane Dembélé

F (C), AM (L)

PSG

Ousmane Dembélé

F (C), AM (L)

PSG

ETV Range

€69.8M - €85.4M

“That's football. That's how football is. Paris Saint-Germain hasn't won anything, nothing,” the Spanish coach fumed.

“If you think about what you've won, you're not going to win anything! There's no room for error. You have to show every day, every match, every training session, that you're ready. Otherwise, it's easy to rest and slip.

“I wasn't born that way. We strive to win all the time, and to win all the time, you have to step out of your comfort zone. Is that clear?”

Tension building between PSG and Dembele

Luis Enrique’s message comes at a time when there is tension between PSG and Dembele in terms of contract talks.

While the Ligue 1 club wants to extend the deal of the former Barcelona striker beyond its current term, which expires in 2028, they have been left unimpressed with the terms that the forward is asking for.

Consequently, there has been little progress made with regard to a fresh deal.

PSG, meanwhile, have already suffered a similar issue with Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, who also represents Bradley Barcola and is in the process of engineering a move for the former Lyon star to Liverpool.

The situation that the French club might be forced to sell Dembele at some point is, therefore, not without precedent.

And there has been interest in the forward’s situation.

Arsenal, in particular, have been following the fortunes of the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, with L’Equipe suggesting that Dembele could move to the Premier League should contract talks completely break down.

While there is no suggestion of a total rupture in the relationship between Luis Enrique and Dembele, the coach’s public comments risk inflaming an already tense situation.

And the Gunners are far from alone in coveting the forward. Chelsea have also been associated with a possible move for the winger, and there is interest from the Saudi Pro League, although Dembele would prefer to stay in Europe.

Why could PSG sell Dembele?

Dembele wants a contract that will break PSG’s wage structure, L’Equipe has previously reported.

The player is already their best-paid player, receiving an estimated €18 million per year, but it is claimed that he wants in excess of that.

“We have a salary cap, as everyone knows. The team and the club are the most important,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said at the end of January.

PSG are all too aware of the danger of indulging players, having spent lavishly on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi to limited impact in the recent past. They are unlikely to be bullied into giving into the forward’s demands.

Equally, Dembele’s entourage have noted that head coach Luis Enrique is set to receive a new three-year contract worth around €20m per year.

These talks over new deals are a source of tension that could trigger a summer transfer.

How would Dembele fit at Arsenal?

Dembele has most frequently been linked with a move to Arsenal. The former Barcelona star has primarily been used as a false 9 by PSG, which is a role that Arsenal have not typically used of late due to their reliance on Viktor Gyokeres.

Mikel Arteta could also plan to use Dembele on the left wing, which is the role in which he made his name.

Dembele would represent an enormous investment. Under contract with PSG until 2028, he has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €77.6m, with the Champions League winners unlikely to sell easily.