A few days back, French publication RMC Sport claimed Liverpool were planning an ambitious summer swoop for Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele.

Dembele completed a highly-anticipated move to Barcelona only last season but he has failed to live up to the billing. The youngster is immensely talented and that was evident from his time at Borussia Dortmund. However, at Barcelona, he has found it tough to compete with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho.

The player has also been injured for a good majority of this season and that ate away his time on the field as well. However, that has not deterred Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu from ruling out a permanent deal. At the same time, his interview with Catalan radio station RAC1 seems to suggest that a loan move could be on the cards.

“The option of selling him is not on the table. We are finishing the season and then there will be meetings,” he told RAC1 . 

“He’s an investment for the future. He is very young and we expect a lot from him.”

A recent report from BBC has claimed that Barcelona could be lining up a summer move for Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann. If that is the case, Dembele would find it a lot more difficult to make room for himself in the first-team. As it is, Barcelona are filled to the brim with some of the world’s biggest superstars right now.

Hence, if Bartomeu was indeed hinting at a loan move, it could work out in favour of Dembele. To reach his true potential, it is crucial that he develops further and he can do so only when he plays regularly.

However, it remains to be seen if he can achieve that at Liverpool since we have some of the most prolific attackers in the form of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.