Xavi is one of the Frenchman’s biggest fans at the club, and internally he has been asking for an effort to be made to secure his future.
Negotiations have been at a standstill for some time now
Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez is desperate for Ousmane Dembele to remain a part of his squad for next season, but the club hierarchy haven’t budged from their last offer to the winger. Xavi is one of the Frenchman’s biggest fans at the club, and internally he has been asking for an effort to be made to secure his future. Negotiations have been at a standstill for some time now, partly due to the club’s financial situation. There has been no official news or update on this front for a while, and it is currently unclear whether Dembele is closer to staying or going. In less than two weeks, he’ll be a free agent. At the weekend, Dembele was asked about the situation, but he simply said he was happy in Barcelona.
Xavi insisted on putting Dembele back on the team
The France international has had a mixed time at the Camp Nou since joining for an astronomical fee back in 2017, but Xavi believes in him. Only recently turned 25 years old, it’s fair to think that the former Dortmund attacker’s best days are still ahead of him. Clearly, Xavi believes so too. In January, when Dembele’s Barcelona career was looked over after contract talks stalled and the board wanted to freeze him out, Xavi insisted on putting him back on the team. In the final stretch of the season, when Barcelona salvaged second place after a disastrous start to the campaign, Dembele was one of the first names on the teamsheet and became the side’s top assist provider.
Now, Xavi wants the board to make a final big push to convince the forward to stay, but the club have yet to budge from their last offer, and the impasse continues.
One of the reasons this has happened is because Barcelona have yet to secure the funds which would allow them to increase Dembele’s contract offer. The Catalan club has a plan, which has been approved by its members, but right now, they are essentially still in the same position as before. Without a major sale or new sponsorship deal, Barcelona won’t be able to do any transfer deals or even register the players they already have agreements for.