Paris Saint-Germain have held talks with Barcelona over the signing of Ousmane Dembele, sources have confirmed.
The 26-year-old became one of the most expensive players in the world back in 2017, moving to Camp Nou from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth an initial £90m.
But his six seasons in Spain have yielded just 127 appearances in La Liga - an average of just over 21 games per campaign - because of a numerous injury problems, and he's yet to score more than eight league goals in a single season.
Barcelona claimed a convincing 2022/23 La Liga title win under the management of club legend Xavi, but Dembele was restricted to just 16 starts and found the back of the net just five times in the 25 appearances he made overall.
Despite his inconsistency and struggles to stay fit, Barcelona have been talking to Dembele over extending the two-year contract he penned in July 2022, when he was strongly linked with a move away from the club.
However, the talks have not progressed as smoothly as Barcelona or Dembele would have liked, reigniting the interest of long-term admirers PSG.
Sources have confirmed that contact has been made between PSG and Barcelona over a potential deal for Dembele, who would be available for as little as €50m (£42.9m) before July 31 due to a release clause in his contract.
That figure increases to €100m beyond that date, though Barcelona know it's unlikely they could command that kind of a fee for a player invariably on the sidelines because of injury.
Dembele could yet sign a contract extension at Camp Nou, with talks due to continue, but Barcelona would also be opening to selling him for the right price. The Catalan giants' financial woes are well documented, and they have already made wing counterparts Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres available for transfer this summer in a bid to raise funds.
As for PSG, they are gearing themselves up the departure of Kylian Mbappe, be it this summer or next. Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal have had a world record £259m offer accepted by PSG, but Mbappe currently has no intention of negotiating a move to the Middle East, despite the riches on offer. Instead, he wants to fulfil his boyhood dreams by joining Real Madrid.
Sources have further confirmed that PSG's interest in Dembele is not dependent on Mbappe departing, as they don't see the pacy winger as a like-for-like replacement for the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner.
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