This summer saw some major shake-ups at Barcelona, with Lionel Messi’s departure to PSG predictably and expectedly hogging all the headlines. However, while much of the focus was on Messi, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner wasn’t the only key name to leave the Camp Nou, with Antoine Griezmann securing a last-minute move back to Atletico Madrid on deadline day.
Despite bringing in Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, Barcelona and their fans were left reeling – especially of course, as no one expected Messi to ever play for another European club besides the Catalan giants. In any case, life must go on at the Camp Nou, and on the heels of giving Messi’s famed no. 10 shirt to teenage striker Ansu Fati, Barcelona and their executives are looking towards the future.
With that in mind, Ousmane Dembele is reportedly set to be offered a new contract. The 24-year-old has failed to really ignite since making a mega-money move to Barcelona from Dortmund in 2017 that cost the Blaugrana a whopping €105 million. Injuries and disciplinary issues have hampered his development, but despite this, reports in Spain claim that Barca president Joan Laporta is “happy” with him and would like him to say at the Camp Nou beyond his contract expiring next year.
At first glance, it may not make much sense for some people, especially considering that Barcelona haven’t exactly gotten a good ROI on Dembele. However, they’ll be hoping to recoup some of their losses, rather than allow him to leave on a free in 2022, and as such it does make sense, if these reports are true, to try to lock him into a new contract and then sell him for some funds in another few years.
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