The race to sign French World Cup winning star Ousmane Dembele heats up every hour as premier league leaders Liverpool is set to break their club transfer records to sign the Barcelona wide man.
Unai Emery’s Arsenal has also confirmed interest in the pacy winger and are ready to match Liverpool’s bid for the French attacker.
Barcelona might be tempted to sell Ousmane Dembele if they receive a satisfactory offer. That’s according to Spanish daily El Confidential who reckon Ernesto Valverde could sell the Frenchman if the Reds test Barca’s resolve. The ex-Borussia Dortmund star’s tardiness has been a problem this season and his professionalism has been called into question. He’s been late to training on several occasions and last month failed to show at all.
Demebele claimed he had been suffering with a stomach complaint. Reports from Catalonia say he simply overslept on Friday prior to the derby clash with rivals Espanyol. If the Reds want to seal his signature, they’ll have to spend big though. He cost Barca in excess of £100m and club bigwigs aren’t willing to take a hefty hit on their investment. Liverpool’s current transfer record is £75m splashed out on Virgil van Dijk from Southampton. Arsenal have also been linked with a deal.
Gunners head of recruitment Sven Mislintat fuelled speculation by lauding Dembele. “I saw him, he had not even played for Stade Rennes in the first team,” he told Zeit, referring to when he signed Dembele for Borussia Dortmund. “I bet he did not know which foot he used in certain situations because he just did not think about it. I felt this is a really special player. Shinji Kagawa was one of those. We were in Japan ten times, but actually I was safe after the first 30 minutes of play. Nobody could grab it. With one move, he changed the entire direction of the game.”
Despite speculation surrounding his future, his performances haven’t been affected. Dembele grabbed a first-half goal in an emphatic 4-0 win over Espanyol. Barca defender Nelson Semedo insists Dembele is happy to stay put. “He is totally committed to the team,” Semedo said when quizzed on the player’s future. “Now he is more responsible and is showing it in the field.” Dembele could feature against Tottenham in the Champions League tomorrow.
Liverpool or Arsenal which will be the best destinationan?