Chelsea might be able to land Ousmane Dembele in the next few days rather than wait for the next transfer window.
This is according to The Athletic, who say their sources in Spain have suggested a deal for the chastised Barcelona forward could be made this month.
Dembele almost has two feet out of the Camp Nou door, following a major fall-out with pretty much everyone in power at the club.
His contract expires at the end of the season and although the chain of command pushed for a renewal, their attempts have been met with equal force.
Barca now want to remove the 24-year-old from their roster, at least on loan until the summer, where he will become a free agent.
Frozen out
Xavi dropped the Frenchman entirely for the Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao last week and the subsequent La Liga win over Alves.
The thought of £135.5m (BBC) worth of talent just rotting away in the dark is a sad image.
“He is with us and we have high expectations for him. He has great quality and is here with us,” said former Barca boss Ernesto Valverde back in 2019.
Unfortunately, the winger hasn’t produced nearly enough moments of quality to justify such a fee or such praise.
Arguably, the last time he was anything near to his best was under the watchful eye of Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.
“He’s a very good player, and I am very fortunate to have trained him in my time at Dortmund,” said Tuchel in a press conference recently when asked about Barca’s prisoner.
“It was only one year, it should have been longer, but I needed to leave and he decided to leave.”
Does Dembele belong at Chelsea?
Now, the pair could be reunited once again, if the Stamford Bridge hierarchy decided Dembele is a good fit for this current side.
That question remains heavily up for debate.
Whilst the player clearly has plenty of potential still stored away, his general lack of minutes, goals and assists in the past few seasons leaves a lot to be desired.
Plus, his injuries are a concern, something Tuchel seriously does not need right now.
Furthermore, Chelsea’s attacking stations are extremely well-stocked, so another addition in this department would seem counterproductive.
With so many cons, it’s difficult to point out the pros.
Dembele has a future in the sport, but perhaps not in blue.
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