Barcelona has been in turmoil for the past few weeks following the unexpected departure of their star forward (Neymar Junior) to Paris Saint Germain in a record-breaking deal. The club was struggling to find adequate replacements, and when they did identify players, they found it hard to negotiate a contract. However, those problems are now in the past as they have acquired young French forward Ousmane Dembélé in a record-breaking deal. The signing was announced earlier today.
Barcelona lands dream player
Barcelona announced the signing of French wonder kid Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth around $125 million today.
It is the second most expensive transfer in history. In addition to that, the club will also have to pay Dortmund performance based fees amounting to $49 million if certain targets are met over the course of his five-year contract. The 20-year-old Dembélé is regarded as one of the hottest talents in the world of soccer, and many believe, he is the perfect replacement for Neymar Junior.
Considering his age, he will only improve in the years to come and needless to say, the huge fee would eventually look like a bargain. The deal definitely marks the end of a torrid period for Barcelona as they have finally plugged a gaping hole in their squad and now they can look forward to taking on their rivals with a reinvigorated forward line.
Summer rescued?
Until last week Barcelona had been in the midst of a crisis as they failed to find a replacement for Neymar and bids in excess of $100 million for Liverpool's Brazilian forward Phillippe Coutinho were rebuffed. For all intents and purposes, it seemed like time was running out for one of Europe's greatest clubs.
After all, the transfer window ends on 1 September. However, the capture of Ousmane Dembélé is a significant step in the right direction as the club try to come to terms with the departure of Neymar Junior.
When Barcelona was placing bids for Coutinho, they had made bids for Dembélé as well, and while Dortmund did not initially want to sell, the player went on strike in order to force a move.
For a player of such obvious talent, Barcelona offers a grand platform from which he can showcase his talents. In addition to that, he can test his skills against some of the best players in the world, who play in the various clubs in the Spanish La Liga. For Dembélé it is, without doubt, the dream move and on the other hand, the transfer has somewhat saved Barcelona's summer from going up in smoke.