Chelsea have been strongly linked with the transfer of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele since the January transfer window and reports of a deal show no signs of going anywhere soon.
Thomas Tuchel worked with the Frenchman during his spell as Borussia Dortmund manager, moulding him into a player Barcelona eventually felt could replace Neymar at the Nou Camp. His time in La Liga has so far proved underwhelming, however, and he is currently set to become a free agent at the end of the month.
A reunion with his former manager remains on the cards, however, despite reports that Dembele is happy to remain in Barcelona and sign a new deal. It was news that dealt a blow to many Chelsea fans' hopes but because of the Spanish giants' financial situation, there remains a chance he will still be on his way to Stamford Bridge.
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Last summer saw Barcelona dramatically lose the services of legend Lionel Messi after they could not afford to renew his contract due to financial problems. Plenty of players took pay cuts to try and make room on the wage bill but with the club £1bn in debt, it was an impossible task.
While Dembele is happy to stay, a report from MailOnline now details that he will only do so if he his offered a significant increase to his current £150,000-per-week wage. It is something that should offer Chelsea hope that a deal can still be struck, although it may come down to Todd Boehly's generosity.
The new co-owner and chairman has promised Thomas Tuchel £200 million to spend on transfers this summer but what that means for wages on offer remains unclear. This latest report does detail that the Blues are currently willing to offer Dembele the same wage but a significant signing-on fee that would effectively take his total earnings to £200,000 per week.
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