Xavi, the coach of FC Barcelona, has retained the characteristics of his playing career. On the pitch, he was never the most aggressive but when he felt he had to get tough, he didn’t hide. This is exactly the attitude that the Catalan coach had when discussing the case of his striker Ousmane Dembelé, who will be at the end of his contract next June and who is delaying Barca for a possible extension.
Xavi, therefore, was sharp this Wednesday at a press conference on the question of the extension of Ousmane Dembélé’s contract, stressing that the French international winger had to “extend his contract” or “leave the club”.
“We are in a complicated and difficult situation. The club has decided that if he does not extend, a decision will have to be taken with him. It’s not easy, but Mateu Alemany (Barça’s sporting director, editor’s note) has been negotiating with his representative for five months, and we can’t wait any longer: either he extends or we will have to find a solution for the player. , he announced before the King’s Cup round of 16 match once morest Athletic Bilbao on Thursday (9:30 p.m.).
“I was honest with him, he knows the situation, it is not easy, not pleasant, neither for the player nor for the club, nor for me. It hurts me for the player, but here what comes first are the interests of the club. We have to choose the best for the Barça entity, ”insisted Xavi.
Stating that the player did “not disappoint him, not at all”, the Barça coach however assured that he did not plan to leave Dembélé in the stands if an agreement is not reached in the coming days. .
“Either the player extends, or we will find an exit solution. There is no other possible outcome. We were very clear with Ousmane. It’s an incomprehensible situation: he wants to stay, he wants to extend, but they don’t make the decision. We, as a club, have to take one, and that’s it: either he extends or he leaves the club.
Ousmane Dembélé arrived at FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for around 135 million euros, becoming the most expensive recruit in the history of the Blaugrana club, and his contract expires on June 30.
Long troubled by injuries, the 2018 world champion (24) has become a central part of Xavi’s game system since his return from injury at the end of November.