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‘That was Spurs’: Guillem Balague says £135m man was on Paratici’s radar on deadline day
Spanish football expert, Guillem Balague, has offered up his version of events when it came to Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele potentially securing a move to England.
The Frenchman was linked all January with a switch to the Premier League. Teams such as Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham were all mentioned at some point. However, Dembele stayed put in the end, despite late interest from PSG as well being widely reported.
Dembele can now leave the club on a free transfer this summer. It represents a massive loss for Barca, who shelled out to the Nou Camp from Dortmund. And according to Balague, Dembele could wind up in England this summer, with Spurs one of the only clubs to show interest in January.
“In terms of his future, I’ve been told a dozen times by his people, he’s got nothing agreed with anybody. In the last few hours of the transfer market, Barcelona called everyone. PSG had a think about it. There was a personal agreement with the player. Then, 24 hours before the transfer market closed, all the sides of PSG that I knew contacted me to say: ‘No, it’s all a lie, it’s not happening’! Also, Barcelona asked for 20m euros to get him,” Balague told the
“They tried with English clubs as well and on the last 24 hours they all said no, not interested, apart from one, and that was Spurs. The most interesting propositions, they feel, will come from England.”
Dembele – who has been to be world class in the past – has frustrated Barcelona all winter with his refusal to sign fresh terms. The club have now come to terms that their player will leave, which is sure to ensure a summer scramble.
TBR’s View: Dembele Will Have Countless Offers
How Dembele ended up staying in Spain here was a miracle. There was so much talk of him going in January that it’s almost amazing nobody ended up doing a deal.
The big wages are, no doubt, a problem. That is one issue Spurs might have should they wish to land Dembele. Other clubs, like the PSG’s of the world, will be able to offer huge sums. And on the surface, it very much looks like Dembele is after that huge contract.
However, it’s one for Tottenham fans to keep an eye on. Certainly, Dembele would improve proceedings.