Transfer News: Blow for Liverpool as Barcelona set to offer new contract to star winger

Transfer News: Barcelona set to offer new contract to Liverpool target Ousmane Dembele

According to Liverpool Echo

, Barcelona are set to offer a new contract to Barcelona and France winger Ousmane Dembele amidst interest from Liverpool.

The French winger is out of contract this summer and is free to talk to the clubs as soon as the transfer window opens in January but Barca’s coach Ronald Koeman has hinted that injury-prone attacker will be offered a new deal at the club.

Koeman told Football Espana (h/t liverpoolecho):

“What’s most important is that we want him to stay. It’s important and he has quality.”

“The objective is to renew. Another thing is, if he doesn’t want to renew, we have to speak as a club what the best way forward is. Still, we have not spoken of what our strategy will be if he doesn’t renew.”

Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 for €100million from German club Dortmund but since then he has not been able to live up to the hype and the expectations which were expected of him.

However, the club are desperate to keep hold of him as they have already sold Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in the summer.

Dembele is currently injured and is yet to play this season, a pattern that isn’t uncommon with him since he joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund all those years back.

The Blaugrana are currently ninth in the La Liga table after nine games and life after Messi has surely not been a rosey one. They have already lost their El Clasico encounter last Sunday against Real Madrid and losing a player like Dembele would really reflect how much their pull has reduced in recent times when it comes to attracting or keeping big names at the club.