Newcastle United look to tempt Ousmane Dembele away from Barcelona

Ousmane Dembele has had an injury-hit career at Barcelona, but his talent alone gives the club enough persuasion to keep him in Catalonia, so long as Newcastle United can't tempt him to England.

New Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has worked hard to persuade the French winger to renew his contract at the club, yet with the package not to Dembele's liking, Newcastle have stepped up their interest.

Xavi unable to persuade

Since joining Barcelona as coach, Xavi has not hidden his desire to keep Dembele at the Camp Nou. His mix of personal conversations and public support of the forward have not gone unnoticed.

With Dembele's contract running out in June 2022, Xavi and the club are working hard with the French player's agent to try and get him to sign a new deal, something that they have not yet been able to do.

Part of Newcastle's plans

Now that Newcastle are one of the world's richest clubs since their take over from Mohammed bin Salman, fans of the Toon are waiting for the signings to arrive. They have already made one appointment by naming Eddie Howe as their new manager.

Taking note of the ongoing situation between Dembele and Barcelona, Newcastle are hoping to strike a deal with the Blaugrana in January for a fee which could rise to 30 million euros, a bargain for a player of the Frenchman's quality.

Free to negotiate

Come January, Dembele will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs that would take effect from the coming season, which means he could leave Barcelona for nothing after June 30.

With his talent known by many all over Europe, the 24-year-old will not be short of potential suitors when the time arrives. This has caused a new sense of urgency at Barcelona, who want to keep one of their most talented players.

What will Dembele decide?

Whilst it is hard to speculate as to what the forward will end up doing, it is clear that for the moment he and his agent are weighing up their options ahead of January.

There is every possibility that the Newcastle offer is being talked up to better a deal with Barcelona or to try and gain more attention from other clubs across Europe. In the meantime, Dembele will be looking to get fully fit and firing for Barcelona before he either commits his future to the club or opts for a new challenge elsewhere.

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