Xavi Hernandez fought hard to convince Barcelona to hand a new contract to Ousmane Dembele last summer. And the Frenchman is repaying the faith shown by his manager with important contributions this season.
So far, the 25-year-old has managed a return of seven goals and seven assists apiece from 23 games in all competitions for the Blaugrana in 2022/23.
The French winger was the match-winner for Barça in their latest La Liga encounter against Atletico Madrid, scoring the only goal of the game at the Civitas Metropolitano.
While Dembele’s growing importance is a boost for Barcelona, the matter of his contract is threatening to become a concern one more.
The former Borussia Dortmund ace signed just a two-year deal with the Catalans last summer, meaning he will have just 12 months left on his deal at the end of the season. It has alerted clubs across Europe, with PSG, in particular, said to have taken an interest in the Frenchman.
But, according to Mundo Deportivo, neither Dembele nor Barcelona are in rush to renew his contract and are relaxed over the matter, even though PSG are lurking.
The French capital club want to reinforce their frontline with the 25-year-old’s signing, but the player recently ruled out a move back to his homeland, insisting that he was very happy at Barcelona.
When asked if the Eiffel Tower does not interest him anymore in a recent interview, the winger had replied: “No. I feel good here. I have a good life here. The coach believes in me and the board does too. I am happy with their faith and my situation at the club.”
The report states that there have been informal talks held during a chance meeting with the club president of executives, but the contract situation of the Frenchman is not being discussed in depth at this moment.
As admitted by Dembele himself, he feels happy at the club and is enjoying the faith of the coach and the management. The report adds that he is currently focused on winning titles with the Blaugrana, having recently signed a new contract.
So, there is no rush from either party about an extension at this point, although Xavi & co. will want to tie him down to a long-term contract in the near future.