"He’s got nothing agreed with anybody" – Journalist drops claim on 24-year-old linked with Chelsea

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has spoken about Chelsea's interest in Ousmane Dembele on the BBC's Football Daily Podcast.

The Frenchman is in the final year of his contract at Barcelona. The Catalan giants tried to sell him in January after he refused to sign a contract extension. However, the winger refused to depart from the club. He will now spend the next few months at Camp Nou before finding a new home in the summer.

Chelsea have been tipped as a possible destination for Dembele. Blues coach Thomas Tuchel was the man who gave him his first platform in European football.

While many reports have claimed Dembele could move to Stamford Bridge, Balague has rubbished them all. The revered journalist said:

"In terms of his future, I’ve been told a dozen times by his people, he’s got nothing agreed with anybody. In the last few hours of the transfer market, Barcelona called everyone. PSG had a think about it. There was a personal agreement with the player."

He added:

"Then, 24 hours before the transfer market closed, all the sides of PSG that I knew contacted me to say: ‘No, it’s all a lie, it’s not happening!’ Also, Barcelona asked for €20m to get him."

Balague further revealed that Dembele was also offered to English clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. He said:

"They tried with English clubs as well and on the last 24 hours they all said no, not interested, apart from one, and that was Spurs. The most interesting propositions, they feel, will come from England."

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Guillem Balague's thoughts on Ousmane Dembele's move to Chelsea were echoed by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano

Minutes before deadline day came to an end, Fabrizio Romano had posted that Ousmane Dembele would be staying at Barcelona. The Italian transfer expert added that the player was never even close to leaving Camp Nou.

His tweet also mentioned:

"Man Utd not even interested. Chelsea never opened talks. Tottenham never been close. No interest in Arsenal swap. No clubs agreement with PSG."

Chelsea currently have a plethora of attackers in their ranks. Adding another winger to their squad without selling first could be unwise for the Blues. Moreover, Dembele's recent history of injuries and poor performances could further dissuade them from making the deal. The 24-year-old has missed 61 games through injuries at Barcelona.