Ousmane Dembele could be Todd Boehly's first signing at Chelsea after the American billionaire's consortium reached a definitive agreement to complete its £4.25billion takeover from Roman Abramovich. This is because Thomas Tuchel's side are 'quietly confident' of striking an agreement with the 24-year-old's signature this summer, according to 90min.
The Barcelona winger is set to become a free agent next month once his contract at the Camp Nou expires, and the west Londoners are among several sides loitering ready to secure his services. Dembele was put up for sale in January due to his wage demands; football.london understand that Chelsea were monitoring the France international's situation — but so were Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Xavi then gifted the Frenchman a second chance at the Catalan side and impressed, with negotiations reignited at one stage. Since the turn of the new year, Dembele featured 16 times in La Liga and directly contributed towards twelve goals.
READ MORE: Ousmane Dembele arrives, Ben Chilwell backup – Todd Boehly's dream Chelsea transfer window
However, in recent weeks, reports have claimed that Dembele will leave Barcelona this summer. And, this month, the Spanish side's president Joan Laporta confirmed that the forward has been given a deadline to make a decision on his future.
"He has our proposal and a date to decide, because there is no more room [to improve the offer]," he said. "We have been preparing for next season for some time and it is an issue that we are stuck, because the agent does not respond to our offer. It looks like they are making a counter-proposal.
"There is a priority right now, which is to get our finances back on track. There are a lot of players that we are speaking with and operations that are pending, but La Liga is not helping us. The criteria is very restrictive."
Following the green light to Boehly's Chelsea takeover, the consortium are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline. And, with the new ownership group eager to bolster the Blues' armoury, The Telegraph indicate that, after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side.
As part of the Blues proposed rebuild project, Dembele has emerged as a target, with several forwards at the club facing a seemingly uncertain future. But, regardless of whether the LA Dodgers' co-owner signs the Frenchman, Tuchel is keen to undergo a rebuild at Chelsea this summer.
Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."
