Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has heightened rumours of a Chelsea move by calling Thomas Tuchel his ‘favourite manager’.
The Frenchman worked with Tuchel during his season at Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17.
They finished third in the Bundesliga and won the German Cup, beating Eintracht Frankfurt in the final.
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Dembele went on to secure a big money move to Barcelona in August 2017, while Tuchel became Paris Saint-Germain coach the following year.
Their careers have differed massively since then. Dembele has struggled with injuries at the Nou Camp, limiting him to just nine appearances in all competitions last season.
While he has enjoyed more success this term, he’s still not backed up his massive £120million transfer fee with Barca.
In contrast, Tuchel won the domestic treble with PSG last season before being sacked due to rising tensions with the club’s hierarchy.
He took over at Chelsea in January and is close to taking them to the Champions League final.
Speaking about his future to beIN Sports (via Express), Dembele said: “I’m happy at Barcelona, we’ll see what happens in the future.”
When asked about his relationship with Tuchel, the 23-year-old continued: “Tuchel really convinced me, he is my favourite manager.
“With Tuchel I played a bit more on the right side at the beginning of the season, and then I was moved more centrally, in the 10 position, sometimes even in the midfield three you see.
“And he told me to stay a bit more central, have an espresso as he used to say to me, the ball will come to you and then you will go.”
Dembele’s unfortunate situation at Barca has led to rumours of a Premier League move. He’s been linked with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Blues spent big last summer, bringing in the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell.
But they could improve their squad further in the coming months as Tuchel looks to make the squad his own.
Dembele is one of the top names on their transfer shortlist, alongside Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku.
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