Barcelona attacker expected to sign for Chelsea – report

As Ousmane Dembele nears the expiry of his contract with Barcelona, contrasting reports are emerging on his next destination.

The 25-year-old’s contract with the Blaugrana runs out at the end of June and despite talks being held over a renewal, there has been little progress achieved.

As things stand, the Catalan giants are pessimistic about the chances of retaining the forward’s services beyond this month.

PSG have emerged as one of his strongest suitors, with reports earlier this week claiming that the Ligue 1 champions were extremely close to signing the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.

However, as per reports in England (h/t SPORT), it is not PSG but Chelsea who are leading the race to sign Dembele from Barcelona on a Bosman deal.

The Blues have new owners in place after the consortium led by Todd Boehly completed the takeover earlier this week. And they are ready to back the manager to the fullest extent in the summer window as they look to ensure Chelsea remain one of the top sides in England and Europe.

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen on revamping his entire attack in the summer and has identified Dembele as a key component of his plans for the future. The German managed the winger at Borussia Dortmund during the 2016/17 season and got the best out of him.

The report states that Tuchel’s presence at Stamford Bridge played a key role in Dembele choosing Chelsea over PSG, with the forward now poised to sign a four-year contract with the Premier League giants.

Dembele is yet to communicate his decision to Barcelona, while his camp is yet to respond to the club’s latest contract proposal either. However, the French international’s preference has been to continue at Camp Nou, although his representatives are not happy with the terms offered.

A definitive update on his future should arrive in the coming week, but as things stand, Chelsea could be where Dembele ends up moving.