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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Ousmane Dembele breaks silence on Chelsea transfer interest - ‘I’m fine at Barcelona’

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele issued a response to the transfer speculation surrounding him this summer.

The Frenchman has been strongly linked with moves to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain now his contract is into its final few days, with Thomas Tuchel keen on attacking signings.

Dembele has struggled to live up to his billing as one of the most expensive players in the history of the game, although impressed last season, with no player in La Liga beating his 13 assists.

Tuchel worked with the 25-year-old at Borussia Dortmund prior to his move to the Camp Nou for £135m in the summer of 2017 after Neymar had left for PSG.

Dembele was tracked by Chelsea in January and continues to be touted as a potential target with Tuchel eager to make improvements to his frontline after a difficult season.

Big-money signing Romelu Lukaku failed to convince and could re-join Inter Milan on loan, while Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech failed to hit double figures for goals in the Premier League.

Still, as intense as the links between Dembele and Chelsea are, the forward gave an indication about his future when asked about it by a supporter.

Footage posted on social media showed a fan asking the 2018 World Cup winner if he was staying at Barcelona, to which Dembele replied: “Yes.”

When asked if he wanted to work with Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, the forward said: “I’m fine at Barcelona.”

It has been a frustrating start to the summer for Chelsea despite Todd Boehly’s takeover, with little in the way of incomings and the club behind on their recruitment plans given the ownership saga before the opening of the window.

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