Dembele's contract extension talks with Barcelona collapse

Ousmane Dembele could be set to leave Barcelona this summer after contract extension talks with the club collapsed this week, GOAL can confirm.

Negotiations did not go as the Blaugrana expected and Dembele's contract requests were not met. The sides remain a long way apart in their wage proposals.

However, Xavi and Co. remain hopeful that a deal can be salvaged despite the dire circumstances.

What is the status of negotiations?

Dembele's current contract ends after this campaign, and he is free to negotiate a pre-contract with other clubs starting on January 1.

The hope had been for Barcelona to reach an agreement with the French winger before that date, but this week's talks crumbled when Dembele balked at the wage cut the Blaugrana demanded.

Both his wages and a bonus for his agent are points of contention.

The bigger picture

Barca manager Xavi has said that he wants Dembele to be a key part of his rebuild at the club, recently stating: "We are going to be positive for him to renew, for me it is fundamental."

However, that positivity is now waning.

Barcelona believe it's imperative to slash Dembele's wages in order to help afford the registration of new signing Ferran Torres, who cannot be officially added to their La Liga squad under current financial circumstances.

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