"The club's offer should not be far from the other offers we have" - Ousmane Dembele's entourage send message to Barcelona amid contract standoff

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele is reportedly prepared to sign a new deal with the Catalan club. The French international’s contract with the Catalans will expire very soon, but it now appears that a renewal is on the line. Despite the inability of both parties to agree upon terms, Dembele is reportedly happy at the Camp Nou and wants to extend his stay.

This is according to Barcelona insider Achraf Ben Ayad, who shared this quote from the star's representatives on Twitter:

“Dembele wants to stay because the coach loves him, the player feels happy in Barcelona and is used to it. He is in his prime years, hence, the club's offer should not be far from the other offers we have.”

The only other club seemingly active in the race for Dembele’s signature at the moment is Chelsea. The west Londoners are reportedly keen on the Frenchman and it seems cash-strapped Barcelona will have to match the Blues' offer if they want to keep hold of Dembele.

In the second half of the season, Dembele went on to enjoy a resurgence under Xavi Hernandez and became a vital cog of the team. Skeptics will however point out that the Frenchman has failed to deliver on the whole during his stay at Barca.

However, the final decision will rest with Xavi and the Camp Nou hierarchy, with his future sure to be resolved sooner rather than later.

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Barcelona won't sign big-name players, according to Toni Freixa

Former Barca board member Toni Freixa has claimed that the Blaugrana will not be able to make the signings they planned for this summer. With contract situations like that of Ousmane Dembele are yet to be resolved, the club's focus on bringing in key players might be diminished. That's if Freixa's claims are true.

According to the former board member, the Catalan giants are 'selling smoke' and won't be making any major signings. Recent rumors have linked the club with Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski as well as Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva. Other players, including Jules Kounde and Raphinha, have also been linked to a Camp Nou move.

However, in a conversation with El Partidazo (via Marca), Freixa explained that Barcelona have generated 'an illusion', which unrealistically projects that they will be signing big players. Freixa noted that he does not see these players joining Barca in this transfer window.

If the former board member's claims are true, then the Blaugrana might be best served by renewing deals with important players like Dembele.