Ousmane Dembele is 'closer than ever' to agreeing a new contract with Barcelona, according to a report.
The former Borussia Dortmund starlet ran down his previous Blaugrana five-year deal last month and has officially been a free agent for over a week now.
Barcelona and Dembele have remained locked in discussions over a new contract along with the player's agent Moussa Sissoko, but talks are yet to yield a positive solution.
Director Mateu Alemany recently revealed that Dembele had not accepted a renewal offer presented to him, but the two parties would keep talking in the hope of finding an agreement.
"We are talking to players that interest us so they can wait. Ousmane now is not a Barca player but we have made him an offer for sporting reasons. He has not managed to accept our proposal but he wants to continue talking. For us, for the moment, we will continue talking," Alemany told the press.
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"The wage balance is necessary for the team to be competitive and all the negotiations come in this context. We are not in a hurry, even though we are aware we cannot wait too long. Players we have verbal agreements with understand the situation. Nobody can expect us not to act with maximum caution."
However, a report from Marca now states that Dembele has 'never been as close' to signing a new contract with Xavi's side, and only the last few details need to be ironed out.
The details currently holding up an agreement are not said to be major issues, and the 25-year-old's two-year renewal until the summer of 2024 could therefore be confirmed 'imminently'.
Barcelona boss Xavi - who has always left the door open for Dembele to remain on the books at Camp Nou - allegedly wants a new contract signed as soon as possible so Dembele can travel to the United States with the team in pre-season.
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have both been linked with a swoop for Dembele amid the uncertainty surrounding his future, but the latter's need for a new attacker has lessened with Kylian Mbappe's contract renewal.
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Chelsea are also said to be prioritising deals for Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Leeds United's Raphinha, although the latter is still yearning for a switch to Camp Nou.
During his first spell at Barcelona, Dembele hit 32 goals and 34 assists in 150 games for the club in all competitions after sealing a £126m transfer from Dortmund in 2017.
Dembele's trophy haul included two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and one Supercopa de Espana crown, and he ended the 2021-22 season with a league-high 13 assists in the top flight from 21 games.
However, the 25-year-old has missed a further 102 games through injury or illness since first pulling on the Camp Nou shirt and was restricted to 15 starts in La Liga.
Barcelona have already bolstered their squad this summer with the signings of Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie on free transfers, but the Blaugrana supposedly cannot register the pair due to their extortionate wage bill.
Ben Knapton
