Barcelona president provides update on Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele is heavily linked with a transfer to Liverpool and Arsenal this summer.

FC Barcelona had a terrific season in 2017-18, as they completed the domestic double. The club lost only one game in the La Liga, as they finished 14 points above the second-placed Atletico Madrid. However, the club has faced issues regarding contracts, and the latest transfer story brewing in the market is that of Ousmane Dembele.

Various media outlets have linked the French star with clubs in England, most specifically Liverpool and Arsenal. However, the Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has recently provided an update regarding the transfer speculations.

The Catalan giants’ chief talked to AP, where he insisted that Dembele will definitely stay at the club. Bartomeu said that Barcelona is “expecting a lot” from the French player and he is in the scheme of big things for the future.

FC Barcelona signed Dembele after the club sold Neymar for a record transfer fee, but the player had an indifferent first season at the club. “It’s not easy to play at Barca in your first year because the style of football is quite different from at other teams,’ justified Bartomeu.

Bartomeu said that Dembele and Coutinho are very important players for Barcelona. “[Philippe] Coutinho, [Ousmane] Dembele are for us a big investment. They are very important players and we expect a lot from them.”

“Coutinho probably in the last four months has been very active for the team. But Dembele is a very young player, a very talented player that we are, of course, expecting a lot from,” he added.

Also read: Which players should Barcelona sign this summer?

The President believes that Dembele has a huge potential and that he will prove his worth in the upcoming season at Barca. “After one year I’m sure we are going to see Dembele and Coutinho at a very high level,” said Bartomeu.

Dembele signed for Barcelona in the summer transfer window last year, on a five-year deal from Borussia Dortmund. Coutinho joined the Catalan club in January.