Barcelona will open renewal talks with ‘best winger in the world’ in February

On Wednesday, Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele gave his manager Xavi Hernandez the best birthday gift possible as he put in a masterful display to inspire the Catalans to a victory over Real Sociedad in Copa del Rey.

Xavi has been one of Dembele’s staunch supporters even when the Frenchman has not performed at the level expected. The 43-year-old stood by the winger during the contract renewal saga last year and pushed the club to renew the winger.

And, this season, Dembele is repaying the faith shown by Xavi with crucial performances, like the one against Sociedad, which was easily one of his best in Blaugrana colours.

Speaking after the match, Xavi hailed the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner as the best winger in the world, saying:

“Dembele, in his position, is one of the best players in the world. I think what has changed in Dembele is that he now believes he is one of the best wingers in the world, something I already knew, now he is starting to believe it.”

Now, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona intend to start new contract talks with Dembele in February and hope to finalise negotiations before the start of the next season.

After a long-running saga last year, the 25-year-old signed a two-year contract with Barça which includes a release clause worth just €50 million.

It means that Dembele will enter the final year of his contract this summer and the Blaugrana are keen on avoiding another soap opera over his future.

Dembele, for his part, also wants to continue at Camp Nou for a long time, as it is evident that he is thriving and enjoying life under the tutelage of Xavi.

The report also suggests that the club’s relationship with the forward’s agent have also improved and the two parties are likely to begin negotiations over a new deal for him in February with the aim of reaching an agreement before the next season starts.

Xavi is said to be pushing Barcelona to tie down the winger on a new contract, but Barça will have to find innovative ways and formulae to do so, given their well-known problems with Financial Fair Play.