Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea on verge of Ousmane Dembele capture as winger rejects last Barcelona contract offer

Barcelona ace Ousmane Dembele

Chelsea are in pole position to land Ousmane Dembele on a free transfer and the winger has reportedly rejected a final contract offer from Barcelona.

The France international has been a Barcelona player since August 2017. The Spanish club spent £135.5million to land Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, according to BBC Sport.

However, his spell at the Nou Camp has been badly affected by injuries. Overall his record for the club stands at 32 goals and 34 assists in 149 matches.

Dembele has shown his class in short bursts, but he’s never been able to continue this for an extended period.

Barca chiefs are seemingly fed up with the debacle, especially after paying so much money to sign him. It is one of the transfers which saw them go over €1billion in debt.

Dembele’s contract is due to expire on July 1 and this has led to rumours of a Premier League switch. The attacker has played in France, Germany and Spain so far, so it would be interesting to see how he would fare in England.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barca made one final offer to Dembele to see if he would stay. A big reason for this offer could have been to protect the club’s finances, as a new deal would allow them to sell him for at least something.

Xavi’s side gave him the chance to stay, with a release clause totalling just £8.6m. But the 25-year-old didn’t accept and is now due to leave at the start of next month.

Ousmane Dembele preparing for next destination

The report states he is now living his final days as a Barca player. The disappointment from his time there means a separation is probably best for both Dembele and Barca.

This is where Chelsea come in. According to a recent report from French outlet Le10Sport, Dembele has accepted a contract offer from the Blues.

They are now in a great position to pick him up on a free transfer this summer. Barca will no longer provide any competition, so it is Chelsea who are at the front of proceedings.

Of course, Chelsea fans will be worrying about Dembele’s injury record. He has struggled with knee, hamstring and ankle problems while in Catalonia.

But the 27-cap international has bags of talent and will make an impact at Stamford Bridge, as long as he can stay fit for most games each season.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly looking at a Premier League left wing-back to replace Marcos Alonso, who wants to go back to Spain.