Barcelona yet to give up hope on Ousmane Dembele stay despite contract dispute - Paper Round

Dembele could yet stay Ousmane Dembele could potentially stay at Barcelona, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The 24-year-old French international is determined to run down his contract and leave this summer on a free transfer, earning a huge signing-on fee in the process.

However Barcelona have scheduled one last round of talks with the player in the hope of convincing him not to do so, meaning they won’t have to freeze him out of the first team. Ad/> /> TransfersLiverpool make contact with Dybala as contract nears end — reports13 HOURS AGO Paper Round’s view: While Barcelona have dropped Dembele for the last two rounds of games, the Frenchman is too good for the Spanish team to keep him on the sidelines while a top four finish is not yet certain.

It must be tempting to use his situation as a lesson for others, but Barcelona should instead learn that they have to manage their resources more effectively. Read the full story Azpilicueta set to leave Chelsea Cesar Azpilicueta is likely to leave Chelsea if the London club continue their practice of only offering players over 30 single-year contract extensions.

The same process saw Willian leave the club for Arsenal, and despite the 32-year-old Spaniard rarely missing games through injury the most he can hope for is an extra year option, according to The Sun, meaning Barcelona could step in. /> Paper Round’s view: While Azpilicueta is a reliable performer, sticking to a hard-and-fast rule does take the problem of judgement out of Chelsea’s hand.

In many ways it is easy to simply know to make a decision rather than waste brain power on indecision. As for Barcelona, they have such a wretched track record in the transfer market that they can scarcely afford another waste