The agent of Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele has been photographed received a call from Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo amid transfer speculation on the player’s future.
Barca were hit with a legal warning the same day after a threat was made by sporting director Mateu Alemany that the player has been told that “he must leave the club as soon as possible.”
Blaugrana boss Xavi Hernandez has claimed he feels cheated by the Frenchman and the player was handed a final warning by the coach last week in what appeared to be a transfer ultimatum.
Dembele was subsequently excluded from the matchday squads for the Copa del Rey trip to Athletic Bilbao and La Liga trip to Alaves respectively, although officially he missed the latter due to illness.
The Catalan club have already completed the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City this month in what appears to be a direct replacement for Dembele in their first-team squad.
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The Frenchman appears to be on the brink of an exit from the Camp Nou – either on a cut-price transfer this January or as a free agent this summer when his contract expires.
Dembele has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea among the clubs linked to his signature.
The player’s agent Moussa Sissoko has been at the centre of his player’s future and he has been outspoken in his criticism of how Barca have handled his client’s future.
Sissoko was photographed arriving at Barcelona airport on Wednesday by Spanish TV station La Sexta, whose images showed the agent receiving a phone call from PSG sporting director Leonardo.
It appears to be the clearest signal yet that there is strong interest from clubs in signing Dembele and that his agent could be negotiating a move.
Dembele has been free to speak to other clubs since 1 January and agree a pre-contract due to his contract expiring on 30 June.
Barca paid £105million – in a deal rising to a potential £135m – to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 in a transfer that has become symbolic of the club’s reckless transfer policy.
Dembele utilises his technical ability, speed, and agility to beat opponents and open defences – with his tactical adaptability also likely to be highly valued by many clubs.
However his five-year stay at the Camp Nou has been marked by a series of muscular injuries and doubts over his ability to enjoy a prolonged run of fitness.
Last week, the forward posted a message that suggested he was being blackmailed by the club and he wanted to put the record straight.
Dembele wrote in an open letter: "For four years gossip about me has been built up, there have been shameful lies about me for the sole purpose of harming me.
"I have never responded, but today it's over.
"I am going to answer without giving in to any kind of blackmail, I dismiss anyone who thinks that I'm not committed to the sporting project, I'm still under contract and I'm fully involved and at the disposal of my coach, I'm not a man who gives in to blackmail."
With just over five months remaining of his contract and less than a week of the January transfer window, all eyes will be on the future of Dembele.
