Barcelona hold first meeting with agent of star forward to begin renewal talks

Barcelona have initiated talks to renew the contract of Ousmane Dembele. The French forward is reportedly keen to remain with the Catalan giants despite a tumultuous negotiation last season, which saw the club actively seek to sell him in January 2022. Dembele’s current contract expires in 2024, and he has a release clause of €50m, which some believe is below his market value.

According to Sport, the Director of Football at Barcelona, Mateu Alemany, held a positive meeting with Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, on Monday. Both parties have expressed their intentions to work out a deal and have scheduled another meeting in the coming weeks.

Dembele has been one of the standout performers for Barcelona this season, making 30 appearances and scoring 8 goals, with 7 assists, before an injury in January kept him out of action for three months. Despite his injury record, he has been a key player for Barcelona, especially since the arrival of Xavi Hernandez as coach.

With plenty to be done this summer, Barcelona will be eager to renew Dembele’s contract quickly, especially given the player’s importance to the team. The 24-year-old has been a regular on the right wing under Xavi and has benefited from the coach’s faith in his abilities.