Injured Barcelona star in talks over contract renewal; three-year deal set to be agreed

Having had to deal with the shock of Lionel Messi leaving the club on a free transfer earlier this summer, Barcelona seem to be safeguarding themselves from similar situations in the future.

Talks with midfielder Sergi Roberto, who is in the final year of his contract, have been ongoing, although negotiations have hit a snag due to the terms being offered.

However, things seem to going much more smoothly with regards to the contract extension of another Barca star, Ousmane Dembele, if a report from Mundo Deportivo is to be believed.

The 24-year-old is now in his fourth year at Barcelona, having arrived from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017, as a replacement for Neymar. While he has failed to rise up to the levels expected, largely due to injury problems, Dembele had shown signs of flourishing last season under Ronald Koeman.

The speedy winger is currently sidelined again, after picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty with France during the UEFA Euro 2020. While his fitness situation remained a concern, Barcelona were also getting worried about his contract.

Dembele had entered the final year of his deal this summer, meaning he would be eligible to hold talks over a pre-contract agreement with others clubs starting January. However, it might not come to that, as the aforementioned report claims that talks over a new deal have already begun and are progressing well.

It is claimed that Dembele will be signing a new three-year deal, with reduced terms owing to the Blaugrana’s financial situation. Meetings with his representative, Moussa Sissoko, have been largely positive and talks are expected to accelerate further once the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

Dembele, so far, has made 118 appearances for Barca, scoring 30 goals and setting up 21 more. The 24-year-old is unlikely to return to action at least until October. But, the positive development with his contract situation is likely to come as a relief for the club.