FC Barcelona signs Dembele from Dortmund
The 20-year-old Frenchman has been courted by Barcelona to fill the hole left by Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in a world record transfer on August 3.
Published : Aug 25, 2017 20:59 IST
Ousmane Dembele will join Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105million, the France international agreeing a five-year contract.
Barca lost Brazil superstar Neymar to Paris Saint-German in a world-record €222m switch this month and Dembele is set to be tasked with filling that considerable void after sealing a move to Camp Nou that could reach up to €147m.
The France international, who will take the number 11 shirt previously worn by Neymar, has a contract that runs until 2022 and contains a release clause of €400m. He is due to arrive in Catalonia on Sunday and undergo a medical a day later.
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has also attracted Barca's interest, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp insisting his team have no intention to sell, but the Catalan giants are now close to getting their deal for the 20-year-old France winger over the line.
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Dembele was suspended by Dortmund after missing training this month amid the speculation over his potential switch to LaLiga. In a statement released on Friday, the Bundesliga club claimed their dispute with the player must be resolved before his sale is finalised.
He joined BVB last year from Rennes for €15m and won rave reviews for his performances, scoring 10 times in 49 matches across all competitions and providing 20 assists.
He was named in the Bundesliga team of the season and scooped the man-of-the-match award after opening the scoring in Dortmund's 2-1 DFB-Pokal final triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.