Ousmane Dembele has grabbed all the headlines as the Frenchman has verbally said "yes" to PSG. Just a few days before he explained there was nothing there between him and PSG as Dembele was focused on succeeding in Barca but now the reports have revealed that he might take a flight straight to Paris from the United States.
What Happened?
The whole Barcelona squad is in America doing the US tour playing a friendly against the other club. There has been a storm going on in the transfer market as Kylian Mbappe has decided against renewing with the PSG.
Panicked PSG might have looked towards a potential replacement for the Frenchman and Dembele would be fit for the role as he is one of the hottest talents in World Football. A winger who has an amazing quality to dribble past players, A pace very few defenders would be able to catch once gone he might not be as special as Mbappe but there has been a sort of revolution in PSG that they are keen to sell their best player.
As PSG eyed Dembele, His contract might be the main issue between the two parties because Dembele has only a €50 million clause in his Barca contract till 31st July. If PSG are able to trigger that amount within 31st July it would cost the French team only €50 Million.
But Barcelona would not at all benefit from this deal as from that €50 Million only €25 Million would be pocketed by the Catalonian Club and the other €25 Million would be pocketed by Dembele himself.
But if PSG could not trigger the release clause before the 31st then the price of Dembele would rocket to €100 Million and Barcelona would benefit hugely by this deal.
Now it is up to Player and PSG at what period they will be looking to trigger this deal and if Dembele would help Barcelona by letting them pocket some Euros for their tough financial situation.
Why is Demebele keen on joining PSG?
There has been a frequent low-intensity war between the management and Dembele. On more than one occasion, Dembele has asked the board to increase his salary, but Barca's cash-tight board has not listened to his pleas.
Dembele's agent also has a very strained relationship with the board regarding the same case. Dembele didn't sign the contract extension that was offered to him but it was only in the dying minutes he signed the new contract with not much of a salary raise.
PSG might be ready to splash the cash on Dembele as the Qatari-backed club is much more financially stable than Barcelona. Their ambition to win the Champions League might also have lured the Frenchman.
There has also been a claim that Dembele's change of heart has been due to Barcelona offering PSG both Gavi and Dembele on a swap deal for Mbappe which didn't go down very well with Dembele's entourage.
What are fans' reactions to this?
Demebele surely has received some heavy backlash dure to this move as many believe he has betrayed the club in the worst possible way. Firstly Barca always stood by him as he was injured half the season. Barcelona fans never turned against him even though he was not present when Barca needed him the most. Secondly, Xavi and Barcelona has helped Dembele to regain his form again and become the dangerous winger of what he is today.
Some Barcelona fans also might have celebrated the transfer they no longer have to tolerate the injury-prone player who was not present for their club most of the time as his sale would generate money which is desperately needed by the Club.
One thing Barcelona fans might not forget is the miss by Dembele in their Champions League campaign in 2019 where Barca was on the verge of scoring the 4th goal but they won only by a 3-0 margin and Liverpool managed to comeback in their opposite fixture 4-0 knocking Barcelona. The image of that Demebele miss would forever be embedded in every Barcelona fans mind.
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