Dembele had to renew with Barcelona after no clubs came forth with offers – report

Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that after months of speculation, Ousmane Dembele was ready to commit his future to Barcelona and sign a new contract.

The 24-year-old, who has been at Camp Nou since 2017, had entered the final year of his contract. Despite the club’s efforts to try and tie him down to a new deal, there was minimal progress made, with his agents being keen on taking him to a different club.

Dembele, according to reports, always wanted to stay at Barcelona but his representatives were causing the delays in contract talks. However, it has now been claimed that the French international made up his mind to continue at Camp Nou, with the new deal likely to be tied up before the end of 2021.

It was also reported that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner had turned down lucrative offers from clubs like Bayern Munich and Newcastle United to extend his contract with the Blaugrana.

However, a new report from El Nacional is claiming otherwise. It states that Dembele decided to stay at the club only because he did not receive any offers from clubs elsewhere, contrary to what has been reported in recent weeks.

The report acknowledges that there had been strong interest from clubs like Newcastle, Bayern Munich and even Manchester City. However, none of these clubs are believed to have made any approaches or submitted any proposals for the Frenchman’s signing.

It further adds that none of the interested parties came forward because of the former Borussia Dortmund star’s injury issues. While there is no doubt that he is a talented player, his sketchy fitness record made the clubs dither on making a move.

In addition to that, his disciplinary and unprofessionalism issues at Barça and previously at Dortmund, are also believed to have played a part in teams not coming forth with offers for Dembele. And, it is due to this lack of concrete proposals that the Frenchman decided to continue at Camp Nou, as per the report.

Since returning from injury, Dembele has shown positive signs under the tutelage of Xavi Hernandez. Staying fit for a prolonged period and getting regular game-time could help the Frenchman finally kickstart his career at Barcelona after a series of injury issues.