April 18, (THEWILL) – Newcastle United have signified their interest in Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, after intermediaries met with the player’s camp during his recent trip to England.
The Frenchman has just over a year left on his contract and has been plagued by numerous injuries throughout his career at Camp Nou. Dembele is keen on playing in the English Premier League and was close to joining Chelsea last summer before renewing his contract with Barcelona.
During his short visit to the North East, brief contact was made between the player’s representatives and intermediaries representing Newcastle. Despite the PIF-owned Magpies’ cautious approach to their transfer business so far, qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League could speed up their plans to sign several elite players this summer.
Dembele could certainly fit the bill and has caught the attention of Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain. While Barcelona’s hierarchy and manager Xavi think highly of Dembele, he could be one of the players who make way for Lionel Messi’s return to the club.
As it stands, the future of the 25-year-old at Camp Nou is uncertain, and he is considering leaving if he is not offered a suitable deal. Any interest in an extension could be dependent on a wage rise, which is unlikely to be on the table from Barcelona as they plan to re-sign Messi from Paris Saint-Germain, along with potentially signing Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
