Ousmane Dembélé will not play for Barcelona next season. That is already clear. Xavi Hernández assured it: “If he doesn’t want to be at Barça, you have to let him go,” he said. And they also confirm it from the French striker’s environment: “he will leave”, they underline without hesitation. The problem, in any case, is the amount of money that the Catalan entity will receive for the footballer who at the time was the most expensive signing in the club’s history, 105 million plus 40 in variables, was paid by Barça to Borussia Dortmund in August of 2017, surpassed a few months later by Coutinho (120, plus 40 to Liverpool in January 2018). In LaLiga, Dembélé’s termination clause is 100 million euros. However, when the renewal of the player’s link until 2024 was signed last season, an extra condition was included in the contract: if an offer of 50 million came for the attacker, Barça would be obliged to sell it. That money would be divided equally between the player (and his agent) and the club. In other words, Barcelona will only receive 25 million. And now that amount is what has the executives in the offices of the Camp Nou fly.
Dembélé had time until July 31 to activate the 50 million clause. And so he did. “He knew the details of the contract clause. We have discussed them with Mateu Alemany [director de fútbol]. We have been together. She knew that there was a chance that she would leave. I saw him so happy that he did not expect it. But this continues ”, explained Xavi.
In Barcelona, then, they already know that they will not be able to enter more than that amount for the French. However, they want to save time and, above all, money, through legal tricks. The Barcelona entity understands that there are different legal interpretations regarding this clause. According to Barça, “not all the objectives” that had been stipulated in the contract have been met. The idea of the club is that the 50 million are not distributed equally. Something that is not clear from the striker’s environment: “We have complied with everything that was agreed. We do not see why it is necessary to change what was already agreed.
Last summer the name of Dembélé circulated through all the offices of Barcelona. The football director, Mateu Alemany, did not want his continuity. Xavi Hernández, quite the opposite. In fact, the coach interrupted his vacation to be present at one of the meetings between the footballer’s agent and Alemany. A slightly higher salary was agreed upon than he had and this new clause of 50 million was added. So everyone happy. Except Germany, of course. It happened, in any case, that this market the Barcelona football director spoke again with the player’s representative to start talks for a new renewal. Dembélé, like last year, assured that he was crazy to continue at Barça. And so he told Xavi. And Alemany and the player’s agent had arranged to meet in Barcelona when the US tour ended.
But PSG and Luis Enrique appeared. “It’s simple”, explained Xavi; “Dembélé explained to us that he had a proposal from PSG. That he had spoken with Luis Enrique and with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and that he had an offer. Obviously we can’t match it. We can’t compete.” According to Barcelona, the Parisian team offered him close to 20 million net, a figure that is very far from Alemany’s new salary policies.
“I asked him why he was leaving and he couldn’t tell me. I guess that will be explained. I’m disappointed. But the important thing is that it has been clear. I wish him luck”, Xavi concluded. The Barça coach never denied his weakness for Dembélé. He was patient with him on the field and defended him in the press room. The French returned the love to his coach. “Xavi supports me a lot,” the Frenchman stated last September in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. With Xavi on the bench, Dembélé signed 10 goals and distributed 22 assists in 66 games, a participation in goals of 0.48 per game. Numbers similar to those he had with Ernesto Valverde (19 and 16 in 74 games, 0.47), when Luis Suárez and Messi commanded up front for Barcelona.
The locker room penalty
“It is a pity. He is a very important player for us. He had been there for many years, he was very loved by the team. We are sad, but we have to continue, we have a great team and we can compete against anyone”, Sergi Roberto added. “In the end”, added the Barcelona captain; “When you love a person, you feel a little bad that they decide another option. It is a job and each one decides what is best for him. He will have his motives. Here we have given him everything and he knows that he was an important player for us. He would have liked him to have stayed, I wish him the best ”.
Roberto thinks like Xavi. Both, this time, in tune with Mateu Alemany. The new technical secretary, Deco, still does not know what he thinks of the Dembélé issue. The Brazilian is Raphinha’s ex-agent, the player came to Barcelona last season in exchange for 58 million, plus seven in variables and was competing with the Frenchman for a position in the Barça attack. PSG’s offer destabilized Dembélé, but essentially upset Xavi’s plans. Good news, in any case, for Raphinha.
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