During his first press conference as a new Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernandez had stressed that the main priority for the club would be to extend Ousmane Dembele's contract which is set to expire next summer. Apparently. the former midfielder considers the Frenchman vital for his project in spite of his complicated injury history.
The Blaugrana still have some time to prepare an offer despite all the financial limitations, because as early as January 2022, Dembele would be able to sign a pre-agreement with any other club and complete the transfer after the current season ends.
Barca president Joan Laporta and his associates are reportedly working hard to meet the winger's new contract requirements. However, Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo has revealed that the Camp Nou side are now facing fierce competition for the former Borussia Dortmund star.
€15 million reasons for Dembele to not renew with Barcelona
The report claims that the new Premier League powerhouse, Newcastle have already tabled in an astronomical bid which would be very hard to refuse, in spite of the fact that the 24-year-old forward would be willing to wait to hear Barcelona's official offer first.
It is considered that the Magpies have gone all-in in an attempt to secure Dembele's signature, thus, offering him an annual salary of €15 million and an additional on-signing bonus of €15m. As a result, Newcastle are believed to be in pole position for the signing of Dembele, because it looks unlikely that the La Liga giants would even come close to such sums given their difficult financial situation.
However, the source adds that Xavi could play an enormous part in the player's decision, so Barcelona have put all their faith into their legend in order to persuade Dembele to opt to stay at the club with a much lower salary than the one offered by Newcastle, who were recently bought by Saudi billionaires.
