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Liverpool, Chelsea 'among four clubs lining up Ousmane Dembele offers'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 29 June 2022

Liverpool, Chelsea 'among four clubs lining up Dembele offers'

Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly all interested in signing Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele this summer.

The France international's contract at Camp Nou is due to expire at the end of the month, and it is believed that his current side want him to make a decision on a possible new deal by June 30.

"Dembele has an offer to stay, but we have no news that he's accepted it. We haven't had a reply from him," Barcelona boss Joan Laporta told reporters earlier this month.

The situation is currently unchanged, with Barcelona not prepared to raise their current offer, while Dembele is said to be holding out for a higher salary at Camp Nou.

Dembele enjoyed a relatively productive 2021-22 campaign despite some injury problems, scoring twice and providing 13 assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Ousmane Dembele in action for Barcelona in April 2022 © Reuters

According to Sport, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern and PSG are all preparing to offer the Frenchman a contract in the hope of securing his services on a free transfer.

Dembele played under Blues boss Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund and is thought to be leading towards a move to Stamford Bridge, while PSG have also been strongly linked with his services in recent months.

The French champions are said to be prepared to pay the World Cup winner double his current salary, with the club seeing him as a potential replacement for Neymar, who is being strongly linked with an exit.

Bayern, meanwhile, could lose Robert Lewandowski this summer, and Serge Gnabry's future is also unclear, which has led to the German champions expressing an interest in his services.

Liverpool could also be in the market for a new wide forward, having allowed Sadio Mane to depart, although the Reds will not offer as high a salary as either Chelsea or PSG.

Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele pictured on January 22, 2022 © Reuters

Barcelona boss Xavi is said to be pushing for Dembele to remain at Camp Nou, but the Catalan outfit cannot afford to raise their current deal due to their ongoing financial problems.

The attacker has scored 32 goals and registered 34 assists in 149 appearances for his current side since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017.

"Ousmane Dembele's future remains open and we are not going to enter into endless speculation," Football Espana recently quoted his agent Moussa Dembele as saying.

"We are and have always been very respectful of all the clubs and we will continue in the same way as long as the process continues. When the time is right to make a decision, Ousmane will consider what is the best option for the future."

Manchester United and Juventus had previously been credited with an interest in the former Rennes youngster, but it is understood that neither club is in the running for his signature at this stage.