Ousmane Dembele 'unhappy with Barcelona pursuit of Erling Braut Haaland'

Dembele 'unhappy with Barcelona pursuit of Haaland'

Barcelona's contract talks with Ousmane Dembele have reportedly suffered a major setback due to the forward being unhappy with the club's pursuit of Erling Braut Haaland.

Dembele's current deal at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season, meaning that he will be free to open talks with overseas clubs on Saturday.

The 24-year-old has been in talks over an extension for months now, and new Barca boss Xavi has made no secret of his desire to keep him at the club.

However, no deal has yet been agreed on the eve of the January transfer window opening, while two Premier League clubs have reportedly lodged big-money contract offers for Dembele.

Spanish outlet Sport reports that the France international has been left unhappy with the club's active pursuit of Haaland.

Dembele had been willing to take a pay cut to around £200,000 a week in order to stay at Barcelona, with the club's debts having spiralled to more than £1bn.

However, he is reportedly disgruntled at having agreed to take a pay cut, only for Barca to then use a bank loan to help fund a mega-money bid for in-demand Haaland.

Any deal for Haaland is expected to cost in the region of £400m over five years, despite the Borussia Dortmund striker being available for less than £70m next summer.

Dembele has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Newcastle United in recent weeks.

Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.

Subscribe