Ousmane Dembele: Barcelona Winger on The Verge of January Exit as Xavi Gives Him Ultimatum

• Dembele could leave Barcelona as early as in the January transfer window
• Barcelona are unwilling to lose the Frenchman, who signed from Dortmund in a £96.8m deal, for free
• Barcelona coach Xavi says the player must sign a new deal or risk being sold in the winter transfer window
• Dembele’s current deal runs until the summer of 2022

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has been given an ultimatum by the club: to sign a new deal or risk being sold.

The Frenchman’s current deal runs out in the summer and he is yet to put pen to paper, with a number of clubs linked to him.

Amid speculation over his future, Barca boss Xavi has boldly declared he is open to selling the winger if he is unwilling to extend his deal.

"Either the player renews or we look for an exit for the player - there is no other possibility," Xavi said as quoted by BBC.

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"We are in a complicated situation and we have been very clear with Ousmane."

Having joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a reported fee of £96.8m , Dembele’s time as a Catalan has been hampered by injuries.

Among the clubs that have been linked with the 24-year old include Manchester United Liverpool and more sensationally, Newcastle.

Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, January 19, Xavi shed more light on the Frenchman’s situation, saying:

"He wants to stay but it has not been agreed so we have to make a decision as a club and that is either to renew or find an exit,"

"It's a shame. He has played every possible minute since I have been coach."

Dembele’s agent speaks

As far as Dembele’s agent is concerned, pressure from Barcelona to have the winger sign a new deal was not helping the situation.

"It's a stroke of pressure that doesn't work with people like us,” he told RMC Sport.

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“Maybe it can work with agents who are close with Barcelona. It's not my case, I am here to defend the interests of my player.”

Reports claim Dembele is currently on a massive £300k per week wage at Barcelona, a figure the club is currently struggling to sustain.

Haaland decries pressure from Dortmund

In Germany, Dortmund star Erling Haaland is facing a near-similar predicament to Dembele as he also admitted to feeling the pressure from his club to sign a new deal.

Haaland, one of the top marksman in world football at the moment, was on target once again with a brace as Dortmund brushed aside Freiburg 5-1 at the Signa Iduna Park.

He remains a Dortmund player at the moment and with his current contract running until 2024, there are hints he could make an exit from the German club in the summer as his £68m is now active in 2022.

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