Ousmane Dembele has been linked to Chelsea since January 2022, and whilst the Blues have had to undergo drastic changes to the club it's a wonder as to why the deal has not been done yet. Chelsea are the only club that finished in the top four to have not made a move in the transfer window for the men's team It is still early days as we are yet to enter the month of July, but it is beginning to become a cause for concern.
Manchester City have signed Erling Haaland, Liverpool have signed Darwin Nunez, Tottenham have signed Yves Bissouma and Chelsea have only agreed on terms to let Romelu Lukaku leave. It doesn't look so great considering that the Blues will now be without Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia negotiating incomings and outgoings.
Todd Boehly has assumed the position as interim sporting director with a philosophy that keeps Thomas Tuchel at the centre of transfer decision-making. Seeing as Tuchel's interest for Dembele has been ongoing for some time, it's a wonder why it has not sailed over the line yet.
Barcelona have an offer on the table ready for Dembele to consider. Though the Catalans are in an open struggle for financial security, they are keen on retaining their talented French winger. To be fair, they need Dembele more than Chelsea do as the cost for a new player in the same position is not even worth thinking about for the Spanish side.
Despite Dembele's positive relationship with his former manager Thomas Tuchel, a free transfer does not cover his demands. The 25-year-old reportedly demanded astronomical wages that left the Barcelona manager 'shocked' earlier in the year. It's unlikely that the Blues will want to break their wage structure given reliability issues that may come with the number of injuries that Dembele has racked up all these years.
According to Barcelona news outlet, COPE, “Dembelé has nothing signed with another team” and his “first wish” is to stay at Barcelona. They also report that we are now heading into “key hours” as far as this never-ending saga is concerned. The next couple of days will be crucial in discovering where Chelsea and Todd Boehly truly are in their journey towards a squad rebuild.
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