Chelsea on transfer alert as Dembele continues to stall Barcelona contract decision
Chelsea remain on high alert when it comes to a possible swoop for Ousmane Dembele, with Barcelona president Joan Laporta conceding that no progress has been made in contract talks with the French forward at Camp Nou. If no fresh terms are agreed in Catalunya, then the World Cup winner will drop into the free agent pool this summer. The Premier League heavyweights from Stamford Bridge are among those keeping a close eye on events at Barca, while the likes of Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keen on Dembele, and a window of opportunity may soon swing open for a growing list of suitors. Will Ousmane Dembele leave Barcelona as a free agent? The 25-year-old, who was acquired by Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 with the money generated from a record-breaking sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, has so far resisted all efforts to get him tied down on an extended deal. That remains the case at present, with Barca president Laporta saying when asked for an update on a long-running saga: "Dembele has a proposal for continuity, but we have no news, in principle, that he has accepted it. "We have no response from him." Are Barcelona any closer to getting Gavi to sign? While considerable time and effort has been invested in trying to get Dembele to commit his future to Barca, the same is true of teenage sensation Gavi. The 17-year-old La Masia academy graduate burst onto the senior stage in 2021-22, but he is still working on a youth deal that is due to expire in the summer of 2023. Asked if any progress had been made in talks with a youngster that has seen a move to Liverpool speculated on, Laporta said: "We are optimistic because we want Gavi to continue at Barca. We are especially excited that he continues, he is from the academy. "The player and his representative, whom we know well, also want to remain at Barca. We are very close to reaching an agreement." Will Barcelona be signing Robert Lewandowski? Away from contract talks, Barca are being linked with a number of players in the current transfer window. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is considered to be a top target, but Laporta is reluctant to be drawn on links to the prolific Pole. He said of speculation there: "We are not going to talk about him because it would be disrespectful to Bayern." Further reading
Chelsea's Ousmane Dembele transfer interest vindicated as Barcelona star tops Mason Mount
All you need to know about Chelsea target Ousmane Dembele SHARE SHARE TWEET SHARE EMAIL Click to expand UP NEXT The transfer window is now open and for Chelsea, it's the start of what is set to be a hectic summer for the club off the pitch. The Blues will aim to close the 18-point gap to Liverpool next season, but with the Reds strengthening, Chelsea need to follow suit in the coming weeks. Liverpool are expected to complete a big-money move for Benfica forward Darwin Nunez in the very near future, while Premier League champions Manchester City have already signed Erling Haaland. One man Chelsea are interested in signing to hopefully improve their chances of mounting a serious title challenge next term is Ousmane Dembele. There have already been talks between the Blues and the 25-year-old winger's entourage, football.london understands. However, there is nothing advanced at the time of writing. READ MORE: How 'bizarre' Ousmane Dembele changed his lifestyle as Chelsea seek Barcelona transfer Dembele's history with injuries could play a part in whether Chelsea decide to continue their pursuit or not, but the talent the France international has at his disposal is undeniable. As per a statistic from @ExpectedChelsea on Twitter, Dembele's expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes is 0.56. Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech are the Chelsea attackers that come the closest to that, but their xA is still some way off with 0.27. Next it's Callum Hudson-Odoi (0.23), Kai Havertz (0.13), Christian Pulisic (0.09) and Timo Werner (0.02). Dembele finished the season with 13 assists to his name in La Liga after missing the majority of the first half of the campaign with a knee injury he suffered last summer. Despite this, his consistency levels might prove an issue should Chelsea end up signing the Frenchman. In a recent interview with football.london, Spanish football expert Sid Lowe said: "He is a bizarre player. He can go from infuriating to awful, sometimes in exactly the same move, but it's not always just about injuries. "I think the improvement in the structure [at Barcelona] has helped him play better. In a way, the forcing of certain options of him because he's a player who has sometimes taken bad decisions on the pitch in terms of choosing the wrong pass and so on
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