€130 million forward has not signed a pre-contract yet, wants to renew with Barcelona

Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo has dropped an interesting piece on Ousmane Dembele’s future at FC Barcelona.

The Frenchman has emerged as the priority for Xavi in terms of contract renewals, thanks to a superb run of form over the past couple of months.

The winger has been involved in nine goals in his last ten competitive outings, compelling the Barça board to make a drastic U-turn and restart talks of a potential contract extension.

Earlier this week, Barcelona’s sporting director Mateu Alemany had met with Dembele’s agent Moussa Sissoko in the Moroccan capital of Marrakech.

Fabrizio Romano had claimed there were no negotiations held during the meeting, and the two parties had scheduled another summit in the near future. There were even reports of Barça feeling “pessimistic” about the chances of renewal following the discussions.

However, Mundo Deportivo has refuted the claim, suggesting the talks between the two parties were largely positive. They were both willing to let bygones be bygones while revealing Dembele’s desire to continue at the club due to his relationship with Xavi.

Dembele’s entourage suggests the player has refused to sign any pre-contract agreement with other clubs in the hopes of prolonging his stay at Camp Nou.

Although they remain adamant about their hefty demands, there is a sense of optimism over a potential extension if the club are willing to make slight adjustments to their wage structure.

The Barcelona board, led by sporting director Alemany has notified Dembele’s entourage of their strict financial situation that could bar them from matching the offer from other European giants, but they are open to finding new economic formulas to solve the issue.

The two parties are expected to hold a meeting as early as next week to sit down and negotiate the exact terms of the renewal offer, with both sides hoping to reach an agreement that could guarantee Dembele’s future at Barça.