Ousmane Dembélé has signed a new two-year contract with Barcelona, the club announced on Thursday, ending speculation that he would leave this summer. The 25-year-old put pen to paper on a deal after his previous contract expired at the end of June.
Dembélé has made 143 appearances for the club since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, winning five major honours including two La Liga titles. However, his time at the Camp Nou has been plagued by injury problems that have not always allowed the winger to live up to his potential.
The France international scored twice and made 13 assists in 32 appearances last season, as Barcelona recorded their lowest La Liga points tally since 2008. His contract saga led to him being dropped by Xavi but he returned to the team in February.
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Dembélé’s new contract ends speculation about a potential departure, which generated interest from other European clubs. Chelsea were among those interested and their head coach, Thomas Tuchel, was monitoring his former Dortmund player but the contract renewal – as well as Chelsea completing the signing of Raheem Sterling – has ended the pursuit.
Barcelona have made two summer signings, with the Leeds forward Raphinha expected to complement the arrivals of Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen.
