Reports: Barcelona and Real Madrid open talks with €100 million star

What’s the story?

Barcelona and Real Madrid are in talks with Ousmane Dembele according to Sky Sports. Borussia Dortmund are reluctant to sell him but with both la Liga giants fighting for him, they might be forced to sell.

Los Blancos want Dembele to replace the frequently injured Gareth Bale in the starting XI while Blaugrana are keen on signing him as Neymar's replacement. This won't the only player the two Spanish giants will fight for this summer with Kylian Mbappe also on both club's transfer wish-list.

Alos read: 5 ideal replacements for Neymar at Barcelona

In case you didn’t know...

Ousmane Dembele rejected the chance to join Barcelona last summer and ended up signing for Borussia Dortmund. He joined the German side from Rennes for a fee reported to be around €15 million.

His value has not increased more than 6 times and has a price tag of €100 million slapped on him. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are ready to match the asking price and sign him this summer.

Barcelona have over €250 million to spend this summer as they have received €222 million after Pairs Saint-Germain activated Neymar's release clause and signed him up. Madrid are trying to offload Gareth Bale to Premier League clubs and also have the money they got from the sales of Danilo and Morata to spend.

Alos read: Former Real Madrid star ready to join Barcelona

The heart of the matter

Ousmane Dembele revealed recently that he's a big fan of Barcelona and that it was his dream to play for them. The Frenchman said it was every player's dream to play at Camp Nou for the Catalan side and he too was interested.

Real Madrid, however, are trying to convince him that they have a better project right now. Los Blancos are desperate to sign him as Zinedine Zidane is keen on working with his countryman.

What’s next?

Both the Spanish giants will launch their bids for the Dortmund star. The interest from both parties will only increase the price and help the German side earn more.

Dembele will have to decide if he wants to follow his heart or his head in this matter. The project at Bernabeu is clearly a better one than what Barcelona have right now but as a fan, he would want to go and help them get back to their glory days.

Author’s Take

Dembele is one of the best wingers right now despite being just 20-years-old. He's got all it takes to play in big matches and dominate the flank he plays on. He can operate on either side of the attack and his versatility will help whichever club he joins in a stunning way.