Barcelona-Dembele: A dialogue between the deaf

Neither Barcelona nor Ousmane Dembele consider the talks on the Frenchman's renewal to be broken off, but they are far from going well either.

That is in spite of the fact that both parties accept that it is very difficult to reach an agreement, among other reasons, due to communication problems and existing tensions, as well as the economic distance between the two sides' demands.

At the moment, the Catalan club is waiting for the forward's agent to say whether he accepts the extension proposal made to him a few weeks ago and the representative is awaiting a response from the club to the conditions set out for Dembele to sign.

Both are impatiently awaiting the other's reply, which is why the negotiation is not progressing.

Nobody dares to say it out loud because transactions in football have been unpredictable on countless occasions, but the truth is that Dembele's renewal seems almost impossible at the moment.

They have been negotiating for months without agreement and the contract expires on the 30th of this month.

In addition to the economic distance between the parties, the club are going through a serious financial crisis that is forcing them to limit their spending, there are serious problems of understanding which cause the result of the difficult relations between the parties.

The Frenchman's refusal first to renew and then to leave in the winter transfer window and the subsequent ostracism have taken their toll.

Alternatives

Negotiations are still ongoing, but as the days go by without any significant progress, both sides are moving.

Raphinha is the main candidate to occupy the right flank if Dembele does not renew.

Barcelona have already sounded out the Brazilian international, who is willing to wait despite having other offers, and must now sit down with Leeds, with whom he has a contract until June 2024.

The two institutions have yet to establish formal or official contact and the Premier League club will not make it easy for him: the player is valued at between 45-50 million euros.

Chelsea, cautious

Dembele, for his part, is also, logically, moving: on the 30th he is free to join any team in the world.

There are a number of teams interested in him: PSG, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea... but as of today there is no deal very close to being signed, not even with the Blues, which is who have been bidding the hardest in the last few days.

The player has always expressed his desire to remain at Camp Nou, because Xavi, moreover, counts on him, but in Barcelona many interpret his delay as a refusal to continue, although there is nothing definitive yet.

Dembele, 25, arrived at Camp Nou in the summer of 2017 for 105 million euros plus variables and has made 150 appearances and scored 32 goals.

This term, he has been involved in 32 games, scored 2 goals and provided 13 assists, all in LaLiga Santander.

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