Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff has claimed that Ousmane Dembele never intended to sign for Chelsea in the summer.
As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Cruyff declared that Dembele had ‘always said he wants to stay’ at the Camp Nou, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
The France international was seemingly close to leaving the Spanish club twice ahead of the current campaign.
In January, numerous rumours surfaced about the 25-year-old potentially heading to Stamford Bridge on deadline day.
This last-minute switch never occurred, yet stories about Dembele possibly reuniting with Thomas Tuchel continued to rumble on.
Ousmane Dembele disregards Chelsea
Tuchel was apparently personally pushing a deal for the attacker he coached at Borussia Dortmund.
Yet, the former Chelsea manager never got his wish, as Dembele decided to sign a new contract in July with Barca until 2024.
He had previously been a standout with the club’s chain of command over a renewal, causing such a flurry of interest from the South West Londoners.
His suitors in the Premier League will therefore have been disappointed by the U-turn he made over remaining in La Liga.
But, as Cruyff alleged, Dembele will not have been disappointed to miss out on the chance to sign for Chelsea.
In fact, the Blues may have to wait even longer to even reignite their interest in the forward.
Romano reported that Barca intend to start further contract talks with their £135m signing after the New Year.
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