Xavi on Dembele in recent games
Xavi has singled out Ousmane Dembele for praise despite Barcelona’s consecutive losses to Cadiz in La Liga and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
Dembele is heading towards the end of his contract at Camp Nou and is yet to pen a new deal. He will become a free agent in the summer and is attracting interest from various clubs around Europe.
While speaking to the media after the shock loss to Cadiz, Xavi was critical of all players except Dembele. The manager said:
“What Ousmane generates almost nobody else does but then you have to take advantage of it, and he does too, in taking the final decision.”
Will Dembele stay at Barcelona?
Barcelona are still keen to keep Ousmane Dembele at the club, but the forward is yet to make a decision on his future. He rejected the offer tabled by the club and is reportedly looking to run down his contract.
In December, Barcelona president Laporta confirmed they wanted to keep Dembele at the club and told TV3:
“We have a very good relationship with Dembele, and he wants to stay. We also want him to stay because he’s a great player. These situations need negotiations with representatives who want the best for the player. I’m enthusiastic about Dembele. He’s a better player than Mbappe.”
Back in March, Laporta once again confirmed their stance on the player after his form picked up. He told the media:
“Dembele knows our offer and knows that we always wanted him to stay. We hope he will think again at the end of the season. I’ve always said it, for me he’s one of the best in his position and we’ll see what happens at the end of the season. For now let’s focus on this season, we have a lot to say both in the Europa League and in the league. In football, you can never rule anything out. Look, he could not play and now he plays, and he plays well. But his contract extension does not depend on me.”
Chelsea and PSG are said to be the sides keen on signing Dembele in the summer on a free transfer.
