Dembele ends speculation by sticking with Barca
BARCELONA: French international winger Ousmane Dembele, whose contract with Barcelona expired last month, ended six months of speculation by agreeing to 'rejoin' the Catalan side, the club announced on Thursday. "Staying at Barca was always my first choice," Dembele said on the pitch at Barcelona's training ground as he signed his two-year contract extension until June 2024. The signing brings an end to a six-month soap opera about where the 25-year-old would be playing his football next season. "It's been a long time coming, but now everyone is happy," said Dembele. "I'm very happy, Barcelona has been my dream club since I was a child. I can't wait for the season to start so I can give it my all." Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund, but suffered a string of serious hamstring injuries. "The first three years were not easy with injuries, but now I feel good with the team and the city and I have the confidence of everyone," he said.
Even though he scored only one league goal last season, the Catalans were keen to keep a player who seemed revitalised following the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as coach, but talks appeared to break down.
In January, Xavi warned Dembele that he had to "extend" his contract or "leave" the club but the French World Cup winner warned he would not "give in to blackmail".
Last month, Sports daily Marca described the negotiations as a "dialogue between the deaf".
Paris Saint-Germain were strongly linked with a move to bring the former Rennes star back to France.
According to the press, Dembele agreed to lower his salary expectations to fit in with a club that remains in economic difficulties.
Barca, meanwhile, were able to move closer to his wage demands thanks to the 207.5 million euro ($207.5 million) sale of 10 percent of its audiovisual rights to the American company Sixth Street. The club is, moreover, about to sell another 15 percent for 330 million euros.
With the arrivals of Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha, the resolution of the Dembele affair marks the fourth good catch for the Catalans this summer.
"My dream is to win the Champions League this year," said Dembele. "I'm going to work hard on the pitch and hopefully it will be a great year for me and for Barca."
- 最近发表
- 随机阅读
-
- The Composer Has No Clothes
- 青岛市地税局开通预约邮寄完税证明服务
- 粽叶飘香 喜旺集团开展端午节社区活动
- 闈掑矝钀ユ敼澧炰竴鍛ㄥ勾锛氫竴鑸撼绋庝汉灏戠即31.42浜縚涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- 水产品占“四席”!广州南沙十个农产品上榜“国字号”
- 青岛启动校车道路违法集中整治 半个月查处27起
- 大樱桃上网飞往全国 云山镇果农可增收9.5亿
- 韶关始兴36个老旧小区“爆改”大变样
- Venture Missionaries
- 去年青岛人均年工资58551元 你“拖后腿”了吗?
- 符师傅的年货故事:快递一箱连州菜心,回家做一桌粤菜
- 闈掑矝鎺ㄥ箍鈥滀附澶╃粡楠屸€ 鐮撮閰掑簵瀹㈡埧鍗敓椤界棁
- Webb telescope discovers 6 rogue worlds. They didn't form the way you'd expect.
- 交通银行宁夏路第二支行开展防范打击非法集资公众教育活动
- 符师傅的年货故事:快递一箱连州菜心,回家做一桌粤菜
- 灞变笢寤烘垚鍏ㄥ浗棣栦釜鍘垮煙缁忔祹鍥芥璐告槗渚垮埄鍖栨湇鍔′腑蹇僟涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- Speeding space object triggered a warning. It wasn't an asteroid.
- 招行30年:从一卡通、一网通到摩羯智投 详解招行创新基因如何赢在未来
- 青岛“保险共保体”首单落地 一企业获500万贷款
- 居民理财观由此迭代——招行发布金葵花资产配置指数
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-