Barcelona set a deadline for contract rebel to decide future

With the new year almost upon us, Barcelona are still sweating over the future of star forward Ousmane Dembele.

The 24-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Blaugrana and will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs from abroad starting January 1, when he will have just six months left on his deal.

Talks over a renewal have been going on for months now with no end in sight. While the club hierarchy seem convinced that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner will stay at Camp Nou and sign a new deal, his representatives have been constantly delaying talks.

Now, with time running out, Barça are believed to have given Dembele a deadline till December 26 to take a call on whether he will sign a new deal or not, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The report states that the officials are starting to get annoyed by the situation and are seeking resolution in a week’s time so that they can decide how to proceed on the matter.

It is also claimed that the ex-Borussia Dortmund forward continues to show signs that he wants to sign an extension, but his agent is pushing for a move abroad so that he can pocket a substantial commission.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all interested and can offer a better contract than Barcelona, along with a potential signing-on fee and agent fee. It has led to the delays as Dembele’s agent continues to angle for a better pay packet for the player and a bonus for himself.

Extension close?

However, an alternate report from SPORT is claiming that Barcelona are continuing their efforts to convince the player to sign a new deal and an actual agreement might not be far away. It claims that the negotiations are in the final stretch and an outcome could be possible by the end of this week or the start of the next week.

There is a sense of feeling that given Dembele’s insistence to stay, his camp accepts a two-year contract on a reduced salary before negotiating a better contract when the financial situation at the club improves.

The Blaugrana are working on a proposal where the winger would have a lesser fixed salary and a higher variable component based on objectives, which should he be able to meet, could make him the highest earner of the club. But, his representatives are still pushing for a higher fixed pay as well as a significant commission for themselves.

The next few days are believed to be crucial as talks continue over the deal. Only time will tell if this long drawn out saga reaches a satisfying conclusion for Barcelona.