Borussia Dortmund have reportedly set a staggering asking price of £135million for Ousmane Dembele amid transfer rumours linking him to Barcelona.
Arsenal, Manchester United, City and Chelsea have also all been linked with the France international at points this summer, after a hugely impressive debut campaign in the Bundesliga last term.
Most recent reports suggested Dortmund would accept around £100m for Dembele, but that appears to have been raised due to fears they won’t be able to bring in a replacement quickly enough.
According to the Guardian, this has seen the German side call for as much as £135m to let their star player go, which would put him well ahead of Paul Pogba as the second most expensive footballer of all time.
The 20-year-old looks one of the most exciting young talents in world football at the moment, and has been identified as an ideal replacement for Neymar at Barcelona after his £199m move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Catalan giants may be in a weaker negotiating position as clubs know just how much they have in their transfer kitty, and Dortmund are determined not to let Dembele go too easily.
Arsenal had a bid rejected for the youngster earlier this summer, believing to have failed with an offer in the region of £90m.
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was said to have held direct talks with Dembele in Manchester, though the player himself has strongly suggested he’d favour a move to the Nou Camp.
‘It is a pleasure to see your name in the list of players that Barca want,’ Dembele said in an interview last week.
Old videos have also resurfaced of Dembele admitting earlier in his career that playing for Barcelona is one of his biggest ambitions.
COMMENTS