Barcelona must pay £79 million for Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Ousmane Dembele, according to Spain’s Mundo Deportivo. The French midfielder had a break out year with Dortmund, and the club hope they won’t lose one of their top stars.
The 20-year-old Dembele arrived at Dortmund in the summer of 2016 from Rennes for £12.75m. In just one season with the Germans, Dembele scored 12 goals and tallied 18 assists in all competitions, making him a very sought after player.
Barcelona are hoping to revamp their squad after last season saw the club miss out on both the La Liga and Champions League titles. Barcelona did win the Copa del Rey, but the cup was little consolation to losing out on the other two trophies.
Dortmund lost several key players last summer, and are desperately trying to hold on to Dembele and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The team won the German Cup at the conclusion of the domestic season and finished third in the Bundesliga. However, Dortmund never threatened top side Bayern Munich and parted ways with coach Thomas Tuchel this summer.
Ousmane Dembele Key Stats 2016-17:
- 12 goals in 46 matches in all competitions
- 18 assists in 46 matches in all competitions
- 2 key passes per match in all competitions
- 1.8 shots per match in all competitions
