Bayern Munich have held talks with Ousmane Dembele’s agent over a potential return to Germany.
Dembele is the man most likely to lose out as Barcelona push to land Neymar this summer, with the Brazilian desperate to return from Paris Saint-Germain.
France star Dembele replaced Neymar and took his No.11 shirt when moving to Camp Nou in 2017.
But the 22-year-old is seen as dispensable by Barcelona’s top brass – if they can seal a return for the Brazil superstar – partially owing to a number of disciplinary problems which have left players and stuff annoyed during his time at the club.
Barca are currently looking to bring in cash to fund their deal to take Neymar back to Catalunya and selling Dembele would go some way to funding that move.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has publicly reiterated his desire to keep hold of the ex-Borussia Dortmund youngster, after a season where he scored 14 goals in 42 games for the Spanish champions.
However, that situation will change should Neymar return.
(Image: REUTERS)
Dembele lit up the Bundesliga during his sole season in Germany, starring for Dortmund and notably shining during a German Cup semi-final win over Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
Now, with Bayern all but admitting defeat in their pursuit of Leroy Sane, they are continuing to monitor Dembele’s situation amid potential changes in his status, and there have reportedly been discussions between the club’s top brass about going big to land him this summer.
According to Kicker, they have been keeping an eye on the player’s situation for the past three months, with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic meeting with Dembele’s advisor Marco Lichtsteiner in Freiburg in March.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Additionally Bild reports that it is Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who is really ‘pushing’ the idea to take Dembele back to Germany, believing he is the ideal candidate to replace Franck Ribery.
Bayern are looking to replace both Ribery and Arjen Robben this summer.
Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies are all in place, but the German champions want an extra option who is proven at Europe’s highest level.
Rummenigge sees Dembele as that player, the kind of game-changer in the final third that they were sorely lacking when dumped out of Europe by Liverpool last term.
Bayern have tracked Dembele since his time at Rennes, only to miss out when he elected to join Dortmund.
They would likely face competition from Paris Saint-Germain should Neymar’s move go through and Dembele become available.
