Comparing Ousmane Dembele’s 21-22 stats with Chelsea’s forwards

Contract negotiations between Barcelona and forward Ousmane Dembele have dragged on for months, and the Frenchman looks set to depart Camp Nou for free with Chelsea reportedly waiting in the shadows to bring him to the Premier League.

Dembele joined Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for an astonishing fee of £105million plus add-ons after just one season at Borussia Dortmund, but injury problems have meant that the best of his ability has rarely been shown in Spain.

The France international was outstanding under current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund, under whom he scored 10 and assisted 21 times in just 47 games as a 20-year-old.

The 25-year-old has had something of a revival since the appointment of Xavi as manager when his Barcelona career looked to be beyond salvation, and the club would hate to lose such a talent for free.

“I have no doubts with him,” Barca manager Xavi said before Barca’s win over Celta Vigo in May 2022. “Even though he’s not having much luck in front of goal, he generates a lot of danger. He is a difference-maker. I am very satisfied with him.

“The club know my idea in terms of next season. But there’s an agent, a club, a player… it won’t be easy, but I hope he renews.”

Chelsea are now ready to do business in the transfer window after months of uncertainty over their ownership, and Dembele would introduce more attacking firepower to a side that has sometimes struggled for inspiration up front.

Importantly, it seems Dembele may be keen to team back up with Tuchel. The Press Association’s Chelsea correspondent Nick Purewal has reported that the French attacker delayed a decision on his future while the Chelsea sale was completed.

We’ve compared Dembele’s La Liga stats from last season to