Barcelona to meet key forward’s agent to hold renewal talks, player prioritising stay

After three months on the sidelines, Ousmane Dembele is all set to return from injury in tonight’s La Liga encounter against Real Betis, providing Barcelona a huge boost in their bid to win the league title.

Speaking of the Frenchman’s imminent return, manager Xavi Hernandez lavished great praise on his star player during yesterday’s press conference, as he said:

“We have missed him. He is the best one-on-one player, there are few in the world like him. Ask the full-backs in La Liga who they prefer. He’s a player with tremendous speed, he’s a difference-maker. It’s logical that we’ve missed him.”

Now, Mundo Deportivo’s Fernando Polo is reporting that Barcelona have contacted Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, to hold a meeting to start talks over his contract extension.

The 25-year-old winger signed a new contract with Barça last summer, renewing for a period of two years, meaning his deal will expire in 2024.

At the same time, the contract also has a €100 million release clause, which will drop down to €50 million during the month of July. Half of that sum would be paid to the player and his representatives if any club were to trigger the buyout clause.

While that may be the case, Dembele is intent on continuing at Barcelona. The Frenchman is a ‘priority player’ for Xavi and he knows that he has the full trust and backing of the manager.

So, the Frenchman is prioritising continuing at Spotify Camp Nou beyond 2024, more so if Xavi himself renews his contract.

Talks are already underway to extend the 43-year-old tactician’s contract until 2026, although he wants to wait until the La Liga title is won. And his continuity could further help Barcelona in their bid to renew Dembele.

The Blaugrana are understood to have called his agent, Moussa Sissoko, to hold a meeting either next week or the following week.

While negotiations could go along over the summer, there is trust between the two parties, which is crucial considering how things had gone last year with Barça and Dembele’s agent not seeing eye-to-eye on several aspects.