Barcelona boss Xavi is ‘optimistic’ Ousmane Dembele will stay at the club with Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich waiting in the wings… and calls Robert Lewandowski a ‘possibility’ as he bids to transform the LaLiga giants into a force on all fronts next season
Barcelona boss Xavi is ‘optimistic’ that Ousmane Dembele will finally sign a new contract and join his summer building job – and the striker could be paired with Robert Lewandowski in his new-look team next season.
Dembele’s expiring contract has seen the France forward linked with Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich, although Xavi wants the 25-year-old to stay at Camp Nou after his return of 13 assists in 17 games since mid-December.
Barca’s salary limit is finally not in negative numbers this summer, allowing Xavi to avoid the catastrophic enforced cost-cutting that saw all-time top scorer Lionel Messi tearfully leave the Spanish giants in August 2021.
Xavi wants Ousmane Dembele (left) to extend his stay at Barcelona by signing a fresh contract
Bundesliga leading scorer Robert Lewandowski could add goals to Dembele’s knack for assists
A £1.3bn stadium renovation in the works and the £331m the club owes in deferred wages means Xavi remains cautious about his wage bill and transfer funds, but he hopes Dembele will sign a deal which the rookie LaLiga boss claims has been on the table for ‘a long time’.
Xavi said: ‘Negotiations are ongoing and we are going to be optimistic. I hope he can stay – he has helped us a lot during the last six months.
‘He’s a decisive player with lots of assists and he has been excellent in many games. When he hasn’t played, we’ve missed him. He is a football player that I like and we’d like to stay, but we’ll have to see.’
Barcelona will finish a distant second to champions Real Madrid…