Barcelona star eager to stay at Camp Nou - Reports

Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele’s future was the subject of intense speculation last summer. However, it now appears that the Frenchman has taken a call on his future.

According to Football Espana via El Mundo Deportivo, Dembele is eager to extend his stay with the Blaugrana. The Barcelona star’s current contract expires in the summer of 2022, and despite being monitored by Manchester United and Juventus, the Frenchman wants to stay at Camp Nou.

Dembele was initially signed as a replacement for Neymar in 2017. However, the Frenchman failed to live up to expectations, as his time at Barcelona was severely hampered by injuries.

Dembele suffered as many as eight different muscle injuries in his first three seasons at Camp Nou, which also included an 11-month layoff due to a thigh rupture he suffered in November of 2019.

Having managed 14 goals from 42 appearances in his second season, however, there were no doubts about the Frenchman’s quality.

Dembele has improved his fitness this season and has already appeared 36 times for Barcelona in all competitions, scoring ten goals. He has featured in 16 games in 2021 and has scored four times in his last seven games. This has led to an increased interest in the player from the top clubs across Europe.

Koeman: "I would like Ousmane Dembélé to stay”. Barcelona are set to open negotiations and offer him a new contract - one of Laporta’s priorities.Many clubs are interested in Dembele if an agreement will not reached. But Barça will push in the next weeks. 🔴 #FCB @HagridFCB

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 5, 2021

Manchester United were very close to securing the player's signature last summer, but Dembele opted out of a move to Old Trafford at the end of the window. The Red Devils are expected to reignite their interest in the Frenchman at the end of the season while Juventus are also keeping tabs on the player.

Barcelona are firmly in the La Liga title race

Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona have clawed their way back into the La Liga title race, thanks to their tremendous form since the turn of the year. The Catalans have won 13 of 14 games in the league in 2021, only dropping points in a draw against Cadiz this year.

They were close to drawing against Real Valladolid this week, only for Dembele to score in the dying minutes of the game to secure all three points for Barcelona.

Nine games to decide the title ... pic.twitter.com/CrnMHYFiUh

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 6, 2021

With this run of form, Barcelona are just one point behind current leaders Atletico Madrid in the La Liga table, with nine games remaining. The Blaugrana are now firmly in the title race and with Dembele’s importance to the team becoming increasingly clear, the Frenchman could be up for a contract extension soon.