Barcelona forward has not committed to a new contract, informal talks have taken place

Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that Ousmane Dembele had given his ‘yes’ to a contract renewal at Barcelona and the club would begin the process of an extension once the financial situation was stable.

But, according to Sergi Capdevila of SPORT, Dembele has not committed to anything as of yet and there has been no significant progress with regard to his renewal, although there have been informal contacts between the club and his representatives.

Dembele has grown into an integral member of Xavi Hernandez’s setup at Barça and has enjoyed his best run of form under the 43-year-old club legend.

Having become a free agent last summer, the 25-year-old re-signed with the Blaugrana, but only penned a two-year contract that also contains a release clause worth €50 million.

Dembele, thus, will be entering the final year of his contract with the club later this year and the presence of an attainable release clause makes him an attractive prospect for clubs in the Premier League.

Hence, Barça do not want to delay negotiations over a new deal, although no significant progress has been achieved on that front as of yet.

The report states that Dembele has not spoken directly with anyone from the club regarding his contract nor has he committed to anything. However, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is happy, comfortable and committed to the project that Xavi is building.

And, while he might not have held talks over a new contract, there have been some informal discussions between the club’s technical secretariat and his representatives. Both parties are understood to be calm over the matter.

Currently out injured since late January, the winger’s sole focus is on returning to the pitch at the earliest possible.

As for his contract, Barcelona cannot afford to delay the process much longer and could possibly look to resolve the matter once the La Liga title is in the bag.