Ousmane Dembélé woke up yesterday at the Thompson Hotel in Dallas. He had breakfast and at four in the afternoon he got on the plane that took the Blaugrana expedition to Las Vegas, the last stop on the American tour. Today Barça will play a friendly against Milan at the Allegiant Stadium. If he plays, it will also be the Frenchman's last game in the Barcelona shirt. Few think about the result or even the game anymore. The future of the winger, with a foot and a half in Paris, has completely changed the dynamics of a tour in which nobody expected big surprises.
For some 76 hours, the Blaugrana entourage has had the 2017 tour in mind. With Bartomeu as president, Neymar began to flirt with the Parisian club. The Brazilian finished the tour. He also paid the clause of 222 million euros. This is not the intention of Dembélé, who wants to avoid paying a clause that has a more harmful tax treatment for him. For this reason, before getting on the plane, the player's agents presented a formal letter to the club chaired by Joan Laporta requesting to negotiate a transfer without the need to pay a clause that until yesterday was 50 million and that from today until the end of the transfer market is 100 million. In both cases Dembélé would enter 25 million euros, a situation that will not occur if the Frenchman's departure is closed in the form of a transfer.
The Barcelona leadership, tired of the episodes that Dembélé and his agent have starred in the last two years, have chosen to negotiate as long as the benefit is attractive. They do not want to retain a player who, no matter how highly valued he is, does not prioritize being at Barcelona. Nor do they want to wait forever in case they have to go to the transfer market to reinforce the void that the Frenchman will leave. The hands of the clock have begun to advance. They have given him five days, which are now four, for Dembélé to present a formal offer that is convincing and that must exceed at least 50 million euros in the first clause. Being a transfer, the club would enter the entire amount without the need to share it with the player.
On Saturday, the faces of the expedition at the Thompson Hotel in Dallas oscillated between surprise and resignation after president Joan Laporta received the first letter from PSG asking for permission to negotiate with the player. A mere formality necessary with a player with a contract who, supposedly until January, does not have permission to negotiate with whoever he wants. At the same time it is also a completely inconsequential letter. From Paris they point out that Dembélé will sign for the next five years with an unattainable salary for the blaugrana entity.
And Xavi Hernandez? The always involved and optimistic coach met with the player after the classic to try to convince him that in Barcelona he can continue to grow and improve under his protection. The football director, Mateu Alemany, also spoke with him, reminding him of the renewal offer that has been on the table since June. The club offered him a contract until 2027 and improved his salary. However, according to the club, his agent, Moussa Sissoko, responded with a counter offer in which he requested between six and seven million more between fixed and variable concepts. “We cannot return to this point. Neither with Dembélé nor with anyone”, they recognized through the corridors of the hotel.
Xavi's words have been of little use this time. On Sunday night, Dembélé went out to enjoy the day off with the rest of the French players, Koundé and Lenglet, and also Kessié, who speaks French. That same day, Dembélé already began to communicate to two players on the squad that Paris will surely be his next home. He looked calm and collected going in and out of the hotel. Dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, he even greeted some fans at the gate.
Then he went up to his room. And, although dinner at the hotel was optional – most of the players opted to go out and dine in a restaurant – the French clan chose to stay. Just like Xavi and his coaching staff. But there were no approaches. Dembélé had dinner and went to sleep.
The clock keeps ticking. Today, Barcelona will play against Milan. If Dembélé does not play or does not score, the last goal that will be remembered in the Blaugrana shirt will be that of the Dallas classic against Madrid. Like Neymar. That he also scored a goal against the whites in Miami before heading to Paris. "He regretted that", they remember at Barça. This is how they transferred it to the player on the flight to Las Vegas. Dembélé did not respond.
