Barcelona contract rebel ready to negotiate again, will need to lower his demands

In a fresh update on the Ousmane Dembele contract saga, French outlet L’Equipe (h/t Hadrien Grenier), reports that the Barcelona winger is ready to sit down and negotiate a new deal with the club.

Dembele has exactly three months left on his contract with Barça and after negotiations fell through at the turn of the year, it was widely expected that the 24-year-old would move on from Camp Nou in a Bosman deal.

However, things have changed since, with the French international impressing heavily on the pitch. The winger has been playing some of his finest football in Barcelona colours during his spell at the club, with Xavi Hernandez getting the best out of him.

It has led to talks of Dembele extending his association with the Catalan giants beyond the current season. Reports insisted that Barcelona had approached his representative to restart negotiations over a new deal, but those claims were quickly shot down.

Dembele is believed to be keen on staying at the club, but his agent, Moussa Sissoko, has been the problem in negotiations, with the Blaugrana getting frustrated with his tactics. The La Liga giants want the player’s camp to make the first move with regard to restarting talks.

And, there could be a change in status quo, with the report from L’Equipe claiming that Dembele’s representatives ‘ready to discuss’ a new contract with Barcelona again.

Talks are expected to resume soon, but that does not change the fact that the French international will have to lower his wage demands if there is to be a possibility of both parties striking an agreement over an extension.

There is still time left for Dembele and Barcelona to sort things out. And, it will be interesting to see if the former Borussia Dortmund ace is willing to reduce his salary demands in order to prolong his stay at Camp Nou beyond the summer.