Barcelona Breathe Sigh Of Relief As $131M Star Agrees To Sign Extension [Details]

Ousmane Dembele has reportedly agreed to sign a new contract with FC Barcelona in the coming days.

Finally ending speculations about his Camp Nou exit, Dembele, whose current deal is due to expire at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, has finally reached an agreement with Barcelona. Dembele is set to sign a new five-season contract and has accepted a lower salary due to the Catalans’ ongoing financial crisis, reported Spanish publication SPORT. The Catalans are due to make the official announcement by next week.

Dembele’s reduced wages mean, Barcelona will be able to sign new players and fit them in their salary bracket. The Frenchman’s new contract also means, even if he wants to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2022, the club won’t lose him for free. Barcelona had paid $131 million to Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for Dembele, whose journey in Camp Nou has mostly been wrecked by various injuries.

The 28-year-old Dembele has been linked with various clubs including Manchester United and Newcastle. While his agents were in the favor of their client moving abroad for a new challenge, Dembele has decided to stay put at Barcelona because of his liking for the club and the project that head coach Xavi Hernandez has proposed to him, according to a French media outlet Foot Mercato.

Xavi has always said good things about Dembele, who is aware that he will be a part of the Spaniard’s big plans at Barcelona. "I’m positive. He [Dembele] already knows the sports project and how important he is going to be. He is happy here. Now it depends on the club and his agent," Xavi said in a recent interview.

Dembele was sidelined through the beginning of the 2021-22 season due to a knee injury. The lay-off saw the player miss 14 matches before he finally made his first appearance of the campaign on Nov. 2 in a Champions League fixture. Unfortunately, Dembele suffered a hamstring injury that saw him miss another two games.

However, Dembele has returned to full fitness and started Barcelona’s last two league games, playing the full 90 minutes and assisting a goal on both occasions.

With 28 points after 18 matches in the 2021-22 season, Barcelona are presently seventh in the La Liga table and 18 points behind table-toppers Real Madrid.