Under Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona made a slew of bad decisions. Choosing Ousmane Dembele over Kylian Mbappe might be the worst decision. Read more about Barcelona Transfer News below.
Barcelona Transfer News
The Blaugrana were stunned when Neymar sensationally left Camp Nou in the summer of 2017 to join Paris Saint-Germain. He then shocked the football world by signing Mbappe on an initial loan deal from Monaco.
According to Mbappe’s lawyer, Junior Minguella, Barcelona had a €155 million (£134 million/$184 million) contract in place to sign him. This was before he moved to Parc des Princes.
However, according to Minguella, the Catalans eventually agreed that Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele was “more suited to the team’s style of play.”
When Minguella told this story on Radio Marca in February, he was met with widespread skepticism, so he created WhatsApp messages to back up his statements, tweeting: “A present for the haters and unbelievers.”
It’s plain to see why Barcelona supporters will be horrified at the prospect of Mbappe featuring alongside Lionel Messi in this season’s Champions League last-16 tie – rather than Dembele.
Without a doubt, the result will have been very different. Mbappe, after all, scored four goals in the two legs; Dembele, on the other hand, missed four clear-cut opportunities.
Dembele Over Mbappe: Good Or Worst
Dembele’s tenure at Camp Nou has potentially been defined by wastefulness. The €105 million (£90 million/$125 million) signing has a lot in common with his good friend Mbappe: they’re both young, French, and quick. However, one is much more clinical than the other.
Indeed, the defining memory of Dembele’s Barcelona career to date is him almost apologizingly helping a shocked Messi back to his feet after he had missed an opportunity against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals that the tired Argentine had laid on a plate for him.
If Dembele had converted the injury-time chance at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana would have gone into the second leg with a 4-0 advantage. And Jurgen Klopp’s “mental giants” couldn’t believe the tie was still intact.
Dembele has not only let Barcelona down on the pitch, but he has also been a vexing figure off it. There have been several reports of tardiness and revelations of an unhealthy, unprofessional lifestyle.
As Goal first mentioned in October 2018, Barcelona considered offloading Dembele during the January 2019 transfer window. The fact that he is still at Camp Nou is largely due to the Blaugrana’s inability to locate a buyer. At least at the price they demanded.
With just over a year remaining on his deal, Barcelona will look to sell him again this summer. There will be no lack of suitors looking to take advantage of the Catalans’ financial difficulties to sign a young winger for a bargain.
And here’s the thing about Dembele: his talent is both evident and immense. This is why Barcelona will be unable to let him go unless a massive bid came in. For the time being, Dembele is just as likely to sign a new deal as he is to depart.
As a result, Dembele looks better than ever. “When I came here, I was very weak,” he confessed earlier this year on UEFA’s official website.
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