Football

Ousmane Dembele trains with Barca as new deal moves closer

Sentinel Digital Desk

Madrid: Ousmane Dembele and FC Barcelona appear to be on the verge of confirming the French international winger's new contract after he trained with the first-team squad on Tuesday.

Dembele, who joined Barca in 2017, is officially still a free agent after his previous contract with Barcelona expired on June 30 after months of talks failed to see the club and player reach an agreement over a new deal.

However, the player's willingness to accept a pay cut in the region of 40 per cent means that talks continued, and the press reported that he will sign a new two-year contract until June 2024.

Dembele's appearance at training is a surprise, but it was revealed in a photo posted by Barca striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the dressing room following Tuesday's session. The photo shows Dembele sitting between teammates, Samuel Umtiti and new signing Franck Kessie, a clear sign that his new deal is likely to be made official in the very near future.

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