Barcelona star to remain at Nou Camp despite interest from Manchester United and Arsenal

What's the story?

The hopes of both Manchester United and Arsenal fans about signing 21-year-old Barcelona star player Ousmane Dembele has now failed, according to reports.

Dembele recently expressed his desire to stay with the La Liga champions, as quoted by Marca, "I'm staying at Barcelona and I'm ready to play the Spanish Super Cup."

In case you didn't know...

Dembele was heavily linked with an exit from Nou Camp after he was angry with the arrival of Malcom at Barcelona. He thought that he will now play second fiddle to Malcom and hence the rumours about his potential exit greatly increased.

The heart of the matter

Dembele, after arriving from Dortmund for €105 million, had a disappointing first season at the Nou Camp which was mainly hampered by injuries and less first-team football. After growing tired of sitting on the bench, he held talks with the Barcelona hierarchy.

Despite manager Valverde and Director Eric Abidal stating that Dembele still remains a vital component at Barcelona.

Having been pictured with Arsenal stars Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Mkhitaryan lately, it was widely assumed that Arsenal had emerged as clear favourites ahead of rivals Manchester United for the signature of the young French star.

According to Mirror Football, Arsenal were planning a last-minute bid of £89 million for Dembele. But, with the player himself expressing his desire to stay at the Nou Camp, it is highly unlikely that there is any chance left for Manchester United and Arsenal to sign him.

Rumour Rating: 5/10

From the above statement of Dembele himself, it seems that he will remain a Barcelona player at the end of the transfer window.

What's next?

Arsenal and Manchester United will now have to search for targets after having been dealt a big blow by Dembele.