Ousmane Dembele does not want to continue at Barcelona and will be sold before the transfer deadline, a club director has claimed.
The French forward is out of contract at the Camp Nou at the end of the current campaign and the protracted saga regarding a potential extension has turned notably ugly of late.
Barcelona boss Xavi publicly revealed his frustration with the situation at a press conference on Wednesday, telling Dembele to sign a new deal or else be sold in the mid-season window as the club look to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer.
“Either he renews or we’ll find him a way out,” Xavi said. “In the end, the club has decided that if he does not renew, a solution must be found.
“We have to do what is best for the club. We are in a situation where we have to stop in our tracks, [director] Mateu Alemany has been talking with him and his representatives for five months.”
He added: “[Dembele] tells me he wants to continue - that’s a question for him. I couldn’t have been more clear. It has not disappointed me. It is a very difficult case.”
Things escalated further on Thursday, with Alemany claiming that Dembele is not committed to Barcelona and had to exit immediately.
The 24-year-old is not part of Xavi’s matchday squad for the Copa del Rey trip to Athletic Club on Thursday evening.
“We understand Dembele’s decision is to not continue and we’ve communicated our decision,” Alemany said.
“We want players that are committed to the club and we have told him he has to leave the club as soon as possible.
“We started talks in July. We have made several offers, which were all rejected. He has been told that he must leave the club, he is not committed to the project.”
Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2019 in a deal worth an initial £96.8million that could rise to as much as £135m.
However, he has yet to live up to that significant price tag, with injuries severely hampering his progress. Dembele has made 129 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions in total, scoring 31 goals.
