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Chelsea are reportedly reconsidering their move for French winger Ousmane Dembele. The 25-year-old's contract with Barcelona is set to expire on June 30.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea have doubts over Dembele due to his injury record during his time with Barcelona. The club believe Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is a more proven and safe option than the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.
Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for £105 million. He was expected to be the ideal replacement for Neymar, who left the club to join PSG.
Despite showing glimpses of his abilities, the Frenchman was limited to just 51 La Liga appearances during his first three seasons at Camp Nou. This was due to recurring injuries and disciplinary issues.
He was ruled out of action for the first two months of last season due to knee and hamstring injuries. The winger was linked with a move to Chelsea during the January transfer window, but the deal failed to materialize.
He was reintegrated into Barcelona's starting line-up after the January transfer window by Xavi Hernandez and began to thrive under the Spaniard.
Dembele provided 11 assists in his last 13 La Liga games and ended the season as the league's top assist provider (13) despite playing just 21 games.
Despite his progress in recent months, the Frenchman seemingly has no intention of renewing his contract with the Blaugranas, and looks set to run down his deal.
Chelsea were expected to reignite their pursuit of the former Borussia Dortmund forward. However, his injury history has raised doubts over his ability to cope with the speed and physicality of the Premier League. The club believe Raheem Sterling could be a better option.
Sterling has scored 131 goals in 339 appearances for Manchester City and has helped the club win four Premier League titles, a FA Cup, and four EFL Cups. As per Football.london, Thomas Tuchel is believed to be a huge fan of the 27-year-old.
Chelsea could sign Raheem Sterling for a cut-price fee instead of Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele
A lack of goals and creativity from their attackers was one of the major reasons behind Chelsea's downfall last season. Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored just 15 Premier League goals between them last season.
The Blues are therefore eager to sign a world-class forward to boost their chances of competing for the Premier League title next season.
Raheem Sterling has just over a year left on his current deal with Manchester City. The 27-year-old scored 17 goals in 47 games in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side last season.
Yet, he was left out of the club's starting line-up for both legs of the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid. He was also kept out for the final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa. This has raised questions over his future.
Chelsea are willing to make the England international their statement signing of the summer. As per Gianluca DiMarzio, Sterling could be available for just £35 million, which could prove to be a bargain price for a player who has scored more than 10 Premier League goals in all of the last five seasons.
