Paris Saint-Germain has concluded the signing of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé, the French club announced on Saturday.
Initially, the French club intended to fulfill the player’s buyout clause of €50 million ($54.9 million), which expired at the end of July. Dembélé rejected the proposal and implored the clubs to negotiate a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties. However, ESPN reported on Wednesday that the ultimate fee will likely remain around €50 million.
Dembélé stated on the club’s official website, “I am thrilled to be joining Paris Saint-Germain and cannot wait to play for my new team.” “I hope to continue to develop and make the club’s supporters proud,”
The Ligue 1 champions had long been interested in Dembélé, and Barca manager Xavi was adamant about keeping the winger, but he acknowledged that the transfer fee would help alleviate the club’s financial difficulties.
Dembélé arrived at Barcelona in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund in a €105 million deal to replace Neymar, but he failed to make the impact he had hoped for, scoring only 40 goals in 185 appearances.
Dembélé almost departed the Camp Nou as a free agent last summer, but he ultimately renewed his contract until 2024.
The Catalan club has Raphinha and Ferran to cover his potential departure, but Xavi has publicly demanded more reinforcements, and Dembélé’s departure is anticipated to disrupt Barca’s transfer plans.
