'Dembele must stay!' - Barcelona beg for new contract as winger equals Messi's assist mark in win

Ousmane Dembele must stay with Barcelona, says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who spoke of the Frenchman's impact after the Blaugrana emerged as 3-2 winners against Levante in La Liga on Sunday.

The Catalan outfit fought back from behind to seize the lead through the latter, lost it again to a third penalty for their hosts and then snatched the win in injury time through Luuk de Jong's effort.

It marked another impressive turn for Dembele however, who as recently as January looked set to become a Camp Nou outcast - and now Aubameyang, who bagged Barcelona's first goal, says that he should renew past this year rather than move onto new pastures.

"Ousmane knows me well," the Gabon star told Movistar+. "I have to always be prepared when he goes to the right.

"It's normal for people to be aware of me. I can do much more. In the first half I didn't play well. We have to [show] a little more intensity.

"I think today we lowered the intensity, especially in the first half. We improved in the second half. [But] Dembele has to stay!"

9 - FC Barcelona's Ousmane Dembélé has provided the most assist in the Top 5 European Leagues in the 2022 year (nine, alongside Lionel Messi). Emergent. pic.twitter.com/YIpuWqAklh

On an eventful night that saw Barcelona concede three penalties across the second half, it was the combination of two of their most promising young talents in Pedri and Gavi that put them in front for the first time after Aubameyang had squared things up at 1-1.

The forward remains impressed with the duo, adding: "Pedri and Gavi have done very well. We trust the whole group. Those who have entered have scored goals. It was a very difficult match."

On the spate of spot-kicks, the attacker demurred on a direct answer, instead