After everything that went down during the period leading up to and during the January transfer window, it looked like the goose was cooked with regard to Ousmane Dembele’s future at Barcelona.
The French winger rejected the Blaugrana’s contract offer and then refused to move out in the winter window, leading to talks of him being banished from the first-team setup for the remainder of the season or even a potential contract termination.
However, manager Xavi Hernandez decided to hand the 24-year-old another opportunity and it has proven to be an exceptional decision. The tables have turned dramatically over the past few weeks and it is now looking like Dembele might end up signing an extension at Camp Nou.
Indeed, the winger seemed to hint as much after putting in a stunning performance in the weekend win over Real Madrid. At the same time, there is a strong push being made by his teammates to convince him to stay at the club, reports SPORT.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who played with Dembele at Borussia Dortmund, revealed upon his arrival last month that he wanted the 2018 FIFA World winner to stay put at Camp Nou. He reiterated the same in another interview recently.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen also backed the French international to renew his contract after the win against Napoli, while Pedri, too, hailed his recent performances.
More recently, the likes of Jordi Alba and Nico Gonzalez also expressed their wishes to see the forward sign an extension.
Xavi has been a staunch admirer of Dembele despite the contract situation. The manager has also shown that he can get the best out of the former Borussia Dortmund winger – something that neither Ernesto Valverde nor Ronald Koeman could do.
So, as the report says, the entire Barcelona dressing room is clamouring for Dembele to renew his contract. Whether the player and the club can put the past behind and restart fresh negotiations over an extension remains to be seen.
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