Ousmane Dembélé convinced by Xavi to stay, but money still an issue - report

Ousmane Dembélé wants to stay. That’s the latest report in the never-ending saga surrounding his contract situation.

However, this is far from over.

The winger reportedly is happy at FC Barcelona, particularly due to the manager. Xavi has been on Dembélé’s side since he arrived, making the case to management that he needs the mercurial winger. And Dembélé has appreciated the coach’s faith, and repaid it with effort on the pitch.

But the report also says that Dembélé wants Barcelona to improve their offer before he signs the newest contract.

There was talk that Barcelona were considering making an improvement to the offer to get it over the line. But Dembélé might not be in the strongest negotiating position. It seems the clubs that could sign him, such as Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, also do not want to pay him the wages he wants and are starting to move onto other targets.

So most reports insist that Barcelona will in fact remain firm on the offer they first gave him, take it or leave it.

Now, we will see if Barcelona can get Dembélé - and his agent - to agree to stay. The player himself has sent signals that he’d rather not move, after all. But will he continue hanging onto the hope that someone will accept his demands? Or will he give in and accept the offer on the table?