Setback For Barca: As No Club Is Willing To Pay $65M, This Player Will Remain In Nou Camp Next Season: Report

Forward Ousmane Dembele reportedly will remain an FC Barcelona player for at least another season as no club is willing to pay his release clause of $65 million.

The clubs are not considering taking a gamble for Dembele, who has had several injury issues of late, during the current uncertainties over the finances due to the coronavirus impact. Just before Dembele’s latest injury, his agent had met the club to discuss his future with the Catalans. The club had made it clear that it would depend on the Frenchman’s form and fitness.

Regardless of that, Dembele is still known for his abilities and skills as a talented soccer player including his dribbling, finishing and two-footedness. However, the fact that he has had seven muscle injuries in the last three years is good enough to put any potential buyer off. It’s a risk of spending huge money on a player who is not assured to be fit for the bulk of the time is something the clubs are not willing to take at present, as per Marca.com.

Having spent $135m on Dembele in 2017, Barca would at least want to earn $65m now but that looks highly unlikely since the upcoming summer transfer window is going to be immensely affected by the coronavirus both financially and logistically. When Dembele arrived at Nou Camp, three years ago, the fans and press made a big deal out of it but unfortunately, the talented striker has not lived up to the hype.

Despite that, his Barcelona captain Lionel Messi rates him highly. Recently, Messi was asked to prepare a list of 15 young soccer players, who he believes are going to be the future stars. The list was a part of Topps’ Champions League cards, which were fully designed by Messi. Apart from the "Youth on the Rise," the cards also included the "Greatest Moments" of his career and his picks for "Top Talents," according to the news reports.

Out of the 15 young soccer players Messi named, one was Dembele. The Argentina superstar wrote one-liners beside the names of the 15 young players. “His pace is frightening in training," read the Dembele card.