Barcelona ready to bet on academy jewel, will not sign a winger to replace Dembele

While Xavi has admitted that Ousmane Dembele’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain will leave a huge void, journalist Gerard Romero has claimed that despite the untimely exit, the club do not plan to sign a winger.

Instead, the Blaugrana management is ready to bet on La Masia prodigy Lamine Yamal as the feelings are very positive within the hierarchy.

Barcelona are currently handling several operations, including both incoming and outgoing. Add to it Dembele’s imminent move to PSG has stunned the team to the core, given his importance in Xavi’s setup.

While there have been talks of bringing in a direct replacement for the Frenchman, it appears that the club will rely on in-house solutions in the form of Yamal.

Can Yamal be the answer?

At just 16 years of age, Lamine Yamal has exhibited extraordinary talent. The youngster made his first-team debut towards the end of the last season and became the youngest player to feature for Barça in La Liga.

The youngster was also part of the pre-season tour of the USA, where he showed glimpses of his unlimited potential. Yamal has drawn comparisons with former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi from within the club. 

There is a lot of optimism surrounding Yamal, and it appears that Xavi & co. are ready to bet on him next season and groom him for a bigger role by having him around with the first team where he can learn from the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

Barça have plenty of options to choose from

Apart from Yamal, Barcelona are already pretty much stacked in the attack. Ansu Fati is most likely to continue and so is Ferran Torres, although the possibility of the latter is still questionable.

Add to the list the likes of Raphinha, Ez Abde, who has shown he has what it takes to continue despite offers from La Liga, Bundesliga and Premier League, and Barcelona have decent numbers to cover each wing.

For now, Barcelona’s only focus is to sign a right-back and a midfielder. For that matter, Joao Cancelo is largely expected to be approached alongside his club and countryman Bernardo Silva.

Whatever money Barcelona get from Dembele’s exit will be used to buy reinforcements.