Tick, Tock – Barcelona pessimistic about selling unwelcome winger in January

Barcelona have plenty of aspirations from the winter transfer market. The left-back, centre-back, and forward are just a few of the vacancies that Xavi hopes to find a solution for in January. However, they all face the same roadblock: Ousmane Dembélé.

The Frenchman has placed the club in a peculiar situation. With his wages taking up significant space on the roster, Barcelona are unable to accommodate any new signings. There are only two solutions to this – sell the player or renew him on lower wages.

Dembele’s renewal saga has been ongoing for the past three months. Every attempt of the club to reach an agreement has ended in disappointment, and a departure in January seemed the best option.

According to Diario AS, Barcelona are now pessimistic over selling the Frenchman in the current window. No team has made an offer for him, especially given that he will be available for free in five months. Despite the tide being against them, the club have not given up.

Currently, there are only 48 hours left on the clock to engineer a departure for Dembele. Yet, he has not responded positively to any of the club’s approaches, says Mundo Deportivo.

Earlier today, Ferran Reverter, CEO of the club, revealed that the offer made to the winger over a renewal had expired. It was also said that a proposal had been offered with a €10 million release clause for the summer to lower his wages for six months. That too has gone unanswered.

As it stands, Dembele will not be included in the first team dynamics for the rest of the season. Xavi has made it clear that individuals not committed to the project have no place in the team.