‘We have nothing left’
Angry Barcelona chases Dembele off the pitch

01/20/2022, 12:22 PM

Ousmane Dembele’s time at Barcelona ended premature and in disgrace: the former Borussia Dortmund striker would leave the club immediately – and receive bad words afterwards. However, a professional advisor puts things differently.

Barcelona Football Club have separated from French footballer Ousmane Dembele with immediate effect. “It is clear that the player does not want to stay in Barcelona and is not committed to Barcelona’s future project,” Catalan football director Matteo Alemani said in a video posted on the club’s website. That is why Dembele and his advisors have been told that he “must leave immediately because we want dedicated players and we hope that a move will be possible before January 31st,” Alemani continued.

Barcelona has been in talks with the former Dortmund striker and his agent since July 2021. “We made various offers, trying to find a way for the player to continue working with us. These offers were systematically rejected by his agents,” said Al Yamani. Coach Xavi Hernandez had warned the day before that Dembele would have to extend his contract, which expires on June 30. Otherwise, he will not play for the Spanish club anymore. “Either we extend or we solve the issue with the player’s departure. We have no choice and nothing else,” the coach said before the Catalan team’s match in the round of 16 today at Athletic Bilbao. Dembélé is no longer available for this game.

‘There were only threats’

And Spanish media wrote that Dembele had repeatedly assured the coach that he wanted to stay in Barcelona. But his agent, Moussa Sissoko, did not accept the offer made five months ago because Dembele wanted to pay a much lower salary in the future. Speaking to the French radio station “RMC”, Sissoko criticized the club’s behavior, saying: “If Barcelona wanted to negotiate, they could try to sit down and talk to us. But there is no conversation, only threats, not with them anymore. The team and this is forbidden.”

The debts of the troubled club financially and sportingly amount to 1.35 billion euros. Barcelona is trying to lower the salary level or comply with league rules for the total amount of professional salaries by selling or hiring professionals.