Ousmane Dembele's future remains up in the air and as a result, he's been linked with moves to some of Europe's biggest clubs.
Dembele's contract at the Camp Nou is set to expire in the coming weeks, leaving the distinct possibility that he could depart on a free transfer. Chelsea are interested in bringing him to the Premier League while Paris Saint-Germain were also strongly linked with a move in January.
A reunion with Thomas Tuchel could prove tempting for the former Borussia Dortmund man, especially now that the club's new ownership saga looks to finally be settled. If the Dembele move were to come to fruition, then one of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi or most likely Timo Werner would have to depart in order to make space in the squad, football.london understands.
Nevertheless, signing the Frenchman is still an exciting prospect. With that firmly in mind, football.london has taken a look at the latest news and rumours on Dembele's future.
Dembele's Barcelona stance revealed
Dembele's agent, Moussa Sissoko, has revealed that his client is still considering his client's future and is not yet ready to pen a new deal at the Nou Camp if it does eventually come to that.
As cited by Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, he said: “Ousmane’s future remains open. We are and have always been very respectful to all clubs and this will continue to be the case while the process is ongoing. When it is the right time to make a decision, Ousmane will consider the best option for his future."
Agreement close
According to the latest report from Mundo Deportivo, as cited by Barcauniversal, Dembele is close to reaching a contract agreement with Chelsea, with a free transfer to Stamford Bridge now looming large.
Blues confident
According to 90min, Chelsea are quietly confident of capitalising on the uncertainty surrounding Dembele's future by striking an agreement to take him to Stamford Bridge. The report adds that Barcelona have come closer to matching Dembele's lofty aspirations, although they are still not confident he will put pen to paper.
Boehly plan
As cited by the Metro, reports in Spain suggest that Chelsea plan to make Dembele their first signing of the Boehly era. Barcelona still retain a slim hope of agreeing a new deal but their perilous financial situation renders that unlikely and Chelsea are now in a position to pounce.
Why Tuchel must fill Hazard void
The loss of Eden Hazard has impacted Chelsea more than we could have imagined. Since the departure of the Belgian, no other Chelsea player has managed to score 20 goals within a season. His last season with the Blues in 2019 saw him register 21 goals in all competitions and he ended his campaign as top goalscorer. Considering the fact that Eden Hazard is not a preferred goalscorer in any respect, that is quite an alarming stat.
The question now is how do Chelsea fill the void of such a character in the dressing room and on the pitch? Could Dembele help?
