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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

FC Barcelona president claims Ousmane Dembele has already agreed a summer transfer amid Chelsea links

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that Ousmane Dembele has already found his next club after rejecting a move to the Premier League on deadline day.

Chelsea were strongly linked with the French winger, who was available for a move after negotiations over a new Barcelona contract collapsed. Instead, he will now leave as a free agent in the summer.

“The Dembele thing is difficult to understand,” Laporta told a press conference on Tuesday. “Dembele is in the team and Xavi has to build a competitive squad with players who have a future at this club.

“We think that Dembele already has a contract with another club, they have insinuated that to us. What we will do is defend the interests of our club.”

Barcelona landed Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the final days of the window, although the Arsenal striker is yet to be officially confirmed as a Blaugrana player.

Reports in Spain suggested that Dembele was on the verge of an agreement with Chelsea on Monday, which would have helped push through the Aubameyang deal. And the Barcelona president stated that a Premier League team did make an offer for the winger.

“I am very surprised that he did not accept a proposal he had from an English club,” noted Laporta.

“He did not want it. It didn't make sense because it was good for him and for the club. It would have allowed us to work with greater peace of mind in the market.”

He added: “We made him a very good renewal offer. The player said no. First alleging that it was not a money issue, but then he did focus on the economic aspect.

“That was when the issue became stuck. The agent didn't tell us anything and that had consequences for the club.”

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