FC Barcelona respond to offer from PSG for Ousmane Dembélé

FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has publicly replied to a reported offer from Paris Saint Germain for Ousmane Dembélé.

“If PSG comes to sign him... we’ll tell them he’s not for sale. He’s one of the most important players we have. He has extraordinary speed. He’s a lightning bolt. Every time he gets the ball, he can beat people, and yesterday he scored a great goal. He will not leave for 70 million nor for any amount,” Laporta said.

Dembélé was a free agent last summer, when his contract with the Catalans expired. But no other team was willing to pay the wages he expected, and he chose to re-sign with Barcelona.

Dembélé has been linked with PSG for a while, which perhaps makes sense as he was a starting winger for France in the last FIFA World Cup and PSG are the country’s most famous team. The media has said that the Parisians are keen to make another deal for the attacker.

However, just a few months ago, PSG’s sports adviser, Luis Campos, explained why they didn’t take Dembélé:

“I really like Ousmane Dembélé. He is a very good player, but he plays on the left and we play without a winger. When you make a team, you have to make sure everything fits together like a puzzle.

“Our attacking triangle is an upside down triangle. Mbappé is at the high point, and the other two are in support.

“It was perhaps a mistake of the past to take great players who play in the same position.”

It’s not clear if PSG truly want Dembélé now or whether it’s just paper talk, and whether Laporta would turn down 70 million for the mercurial winger or if he’s bluffing.