Barcelona coach Xavi has outlined plans to sell Ousmane Dembele this month if the winger does not sign a new contract.
Dembele, 24, is nearing the end of the deal he signed when the Catalans paid £110million for the Frenchman to join from Borussia Dortmund in 2017. Since then, he has been hit by multiple injury issues and is yet to truly live up to his price tag.
Negotiations over an extension to his contract, which expires in June, have taken place against the backdrop of a brewing war of words between the club’s and player’s camps.
“Either he renews or we'll find him a way out,” Xavi told reporters on Wednesday. “In the end, the club has decided that if he does not renew, a solution must be found.
“We have to do what is best for the club. We are in a situation where we have to stop in our tracks, [director of football] Mateu Alemany has been talking with him and his representatives for five months.”
He added: “[Dembele] tells me he wants to continue - that's a question for him. I couldn't have been more clear. It has not disappointed me. It is a very difficult case.”
Xavi’s statement followed claims by Moussa Sissoko, Dembele’s agent, that Barcelona were responsible for pushing him away.
Sissoko told RMC Sport: “They're putting the pressure on, but it doesn't work with people like us.
“We're not here to react to debates on social media, but the truth has to be said. Yes, we have high demands, but we've shown in the past that Ousmane's career choices are not dictated by money.
“There are no discussions and there are threats coming from them that he won't play. That's not allowed. We will exercise Ousmane Dembele's rights if necessary. We don't know what we're going to do, nothing is decided. But the club are losing Ousmane by themselves.”
Manchester United and Newcastle have been linked with Dembele, while Xavi has refused to commit to playing the forward in Barcelona’s Copa del Rey clash with Athletic Club on Thursday.
“Tomorrow we will decide,” he noted. “It is not a pleasant situation for anyone, but what is clear is that the interests of the club will prevail.”
