The club initiated new contact with the 24-year-old’s representatives Moussa Sissoko and Marco Lichtsteiner; Barca tried to force the France winger out in January amid a stalemate over an offer that included a significant pay-cut; Dembele’s current deal expires on June 30.
The club initiated contact with the 24-year-old’s representatives Moussa Sissoko and Marco Lichtsteiner on Tuesday to propose reopening negotiations.
They have agreed to listen to Barcelona’s offer with talks expected to take place in the coming weeks.
It marks a significant turnaround after Barcelona tried to force the France winger out in January amid a stalemate over an offer that included a significant pay-cut, and was made at the same time the club were signing Ferran Torres from Manchester City.
But Dembele is now enjoying his football again under Xavi and registering some of the best attacking stats in Europe. He has the best assists-per-minute ratio in the top-five leagues this season, the most assists in Europe since the turn of the year, and the second-most in La Liga all season.
Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste said last week that “”if Dembele continues to feel comfortable, then we can meet his agents and he could stay””, with his current deal expiring on June 30.
