Ronald Koeman has revealed that Barcelona wish to renew the contract of rumoured Tottenham target Ousmane Dembele, but hinted it might not be possible.
Dembele has struggled for consistency at the Camp Nou since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund four years ago.
The winger’s current deal runs out next summer and Barca have been unsuccessful in their attempts to renew his deal so far.
90min reported last week that the Catalan giants are unable to meet the Frenchman’s wage demands, with the player thought to be demanding a pay rise on his current agreement which is already worth in excess of £200,000-a-week.
It was claimed that ‘transfer options are piling up’ for the winger, with Spurs named as one of the clubs showing interest ahead of the January transfer window.
Some Spurs fans on social media were quite divided over the club’s rumoured pursuit of the Les Blues star, with a few pointing to his injury history and alleged attitude problems as red flags.
Koeman has now stated his intention to keep Dembele but admitted that the club might have to make a decision on his future if he does not renew his contract.
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The Barcelona boss said (via Fabrizio Romano): “We want Ousmane Dembele to stay with us, he is an important player, our goal is for him to renew.
“If he does not, we will have to react in the best possible way. We have not decided our strategy in case he does not renew.”
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Reading between the lines of Koeman’s words, he seems to be saying that Barca have to cash in on Dembele if he does not renew his contract by January.
Given that Tottenham have been backed by the likes of Alasdair Gold to pursue an attacking addition in January, it would not come as a surprise to see the club testing the waters for the French international.
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