Chelsea target and soon-to-be Barcelona employee once again Ousmane Dembélé has reportedly taken drastic action to secure a spot in Xavi's side for 2022/23 as his and Raphinha's Blues snubs have prompted new owner Todd Boehly to turn towards Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
For such a long time, since the January transfer window, manager Thomas Tuchel was expected to get his eventual Dembélé transfer wish as the German manager was highly keen on reuniting with a player he made into a £126million prospect at Barca. football.london understood that the Blues just came short in signing the 25-year-old for a minimal fee in January with a summer move more likely to have come to fruition. However, club icon Xavi has seemingly worked his magic in turning the Frenchman's head once again.
This is because despite becoming a free agent on July 1, Dembele is expected to sign a new deal at the Camp Nou until 2024- this is of course in spite of Raphinha's dream move to Spain now looking a reality. It was expected that the futures of Dembele and Raphinha would be intertwined this summer- one comes in, one goes or role reversal. However, the economic lever that has seen £177m flood into Barcelona has freed up the money for Joan Laporta and co to inflict double misery on Chelsea's transfer plans.
READ MORE: Neymar does U-turn on Premier League transfer promise as Chelsea 'offered' Raphinha alternative
Not only have they seemingly nabbed Raphinha under Boehly's nose, but Barca have also moved a massive stride closer to agreeing to a new contract with their number 7 on their own terms.
His agent Moussa Sissoko wanted a big pay rise for his client but neither Barca or Chelsea were to meet that certain demand. Therefore, this had culminated in the former Les Bleus international becoming a free agent and consequently, powerless in this situation.
To an extent where he has reportedly taken a huge pay cut to stay put in La Liga for a few more seasons at least. This is according to Mundo Deportivo who have reported that: "Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele is very close to signing a new contract which will reduce his salary by 40% and, in return, he will only sign for two years, until June 2024."
Where Chelsea go next remains to be seen but it has been revealed by the Evening Standard that they have been offered the opportunity to sign PSG's Neymar with the Brazilian now open to a Premier League switch. On top of this, the Blues are already 'labelled' as favourites to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer with the Portuguese eager to play Champions League football next season.
Chelsea fans - would you be happy with missing out on signing Ousmane Dembélé if it means ending up with Neymar? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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