Whether or not Liverpool actually have bonafide interest in Ousmane Dembele, they have been linked heavily in the press for a move to sign the Frenchman as his time in Barcelona comes to an end.
The Frenchman joined the Catalonian club in 2017 for a fee initially reported to be worth £105million and he is paid £287,000 per week but injuries have ruined his ability to perform.
Liverpool can reportedly sign Dembele for just €10million this month as Xavi looks to cut his losses on the former Borussia Dortmund star and go about building his side and get Barcelona back to the heights the club was at during his playing days.
Via Fabrizio Romano on Instagram, Barca Sporting director Mateu Alemany said: “We told Dembélé and his agent that he has to leave immediately. We expect Ousmane to be sold before January 31.
“It’s clear that Dembélé does not want to continue with Barça. He doesn’t want to be part of our project and we want committed players.
“We made him many proposals to stay and sign the new deal but he’s always turning down these bids, many and many times. No way.
“The decision has been made by Xavi with our total support. We’re together. He’s not called up for Athletic vs. Barça game.
Last night it was reported that Dembele has been excluded from the Barcelona squad that has travelled to face Athletic Bilbao before later being confirmed and this could see speculation between Liverpool and the Frenchman explode.
Transfermarkt values the forward at £27m and even though Liverpool can sign him for a fraction of that at €10m (£8.3m), it’s not a move that makes sense when you look at his recent injury history and even his goals and assists for Barcelona over the last two seasons.
Since the start of the 2019/20 season, he has had 8 different injuries which have seen him miss a total of 477 days and 63 games.
In that period, he has only played 64 games, scoring just 13 times which underlines how this is a move that Liverpool absolutely cannot consider as it makes very little financial sense for the Reds.
