Barça are considering benching Dembélé for the rest of the season to spite the player for his petitions. His agent is looking for a 15 million euro bonus.
Barça have become so fed up with Ousmane Dembélé that they are considering leaving the player to spend the remainder of the season sat on the subs' bench. According to TV3, Joan Laporta and Mateu Alemany are due to talk to Xavi about ostracising the French winger for the rest of the campaign - or at least trying to find a new club for the player during next month's transfer window to recoup some of the money they spent on him. That would at least alleviate some of the financial pressure on the club after Dembélé's refusal to accept Barca's offer to renew his contract.
Dembélé's lavish demands
That is the current state of play, or at least the scenario according to what Barca have decided to leak to the media. They are furious about the player's outlandish petitions - incredicle from a player who arrived costing 140 million euros and hasn't been able to even string four decent games together for Barça. According to what TV3 reports, his agent Moussa Sissoko is demanding a 45 million euro signing-on fee - 15 mililon of it for him and 30 for the player. That is the price simply for renewing the contract of a player who has missed over 100 games for Barça in four and a half seasons through injury or other reasons. But the demands don't stop there - TV3 add that Dembélé, a World Cup winner with France (without hardly playing...), is asking for 30 million euros per season.
Viewing the situation, with zero chances of striking a deal over a new contract (reports in Italy suggest a possible agreement is in place with Juventus), Barça are prepared to do whatever suits them. The club knows that if they punish Dembélé, the fans would be behind them - culés don't understand how a player who the club has bent over backwards for has given so little in return and now is holding them to ransom by demanding exorbitant conditions.
Caught in the middle is Xavi, who has publicly stated that he isn't contempleting sending Dembélé to the stands, as it would be detrimental to the club's image. "If a player is under contract, he must play. Let's think positively and hope that he will renew. I would arther think that way. If he has a contract then he has to play - not only for him but also for the image of the club. I am not contemplating that option. Players who have a contract should be playing," the coach explained.