Chelsea have received positive signals from the representatives of Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele over a summer move, football.london reports.
The Frenchman’s current deal with Barcelona expires at the end of the month, and he has yet to be convinced over a possible extension.
It looks likely that he will walk away from the Catalan giants, and Chelsea seem to be the favourites to land his signature on a free transfer.
According to football.london, there have been ‘positive signals’ from the player’s camp regarding a move to the London giants this summer.
Our view:
Dembele has suffered multiple injuries during his time at Barcelona. It was quite similar last term as he missed the first four months of the season with a serious knee issue.
However, he made a terrific comeback and ended up with 13 assists and one goal from just 21 league games.
Hence, there are no doubts over his quality on the pitch, but his worrying fitness record could be the reason behind the limited transfer interest this summer.
Chelsea are currently loaded with attacking options, but it has been reported that manager Thomas Tuchel plans to reinforce the attack with two more forwards.
Tuchel knows Dembele well from their time together at Borussia Dortmund. The Frenchman could be a quality acquisition for the right-sided attacking midfield role.
The World Cup winner prefers to cut inside from the right flank, and excelled from the position last term with 11 assists. He should fare better if he stays unscathed.
The Blues could take the risk with him now that he could be available on a free transfer. There does not appear any high-profile competition for his services at the moment.
Paris Saint-Germain were deemed to be close to finalising a pre-contract in January, but have cooled their interest with the exit of sporting director Leonardo.
