Barcelona ask Chelsea transfer target Ousmane Dembele to take massive pay cut

Barcelona’s contract offer on the table for Ousmane Dembele would require the winger to take a huge pay cut, according to reports.

Barca signed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £135.5million in 2017, but he has struggled to live up to that enormous price tag.

A mixture of injuries and lack of form have culminated in the 25-year-old missing many matches for the Catalan club.

Now, he is officially a free agent following the expiry of his Barcelona contract on June 30.

According to Sport, Barca’s latest contract proposal is their last one, and the club have made that clear to Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko.

But accepting that offer would mean the player would have to take a massive 40 per cent pay cut.

As a free agent, Dembele is able to negotiate with any club he likes, with the winger said to be aware of interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

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Meanwhile, the Blues have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Leeds United’s Raphinha.

Despite the west London club agreeing a deal worth £55m rising to £60m with Leeds for the Brazil international, Barca are reportedly ready to put forward their own package worth £60m.

Raphinha’s preferred destination is the Camp Nou and Barca are thought to be hopeful of getting the deal done.

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