A couple of days ago, Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that Tottenham Hotspur wants to pursue FC Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé. Another news source out of Spain confirms that there have been discussions between the forward and the Premier League side.
Sport reports that the agent for Dembélé has already met with Spurs along with Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Juventus to listen to their offers. The main hurdle in a potential deal appears to be the salary.
Barcelona wants to give him a financially friendly salary to their situation and make up the rest in bonuses. However, Dembélé wants a higher wage to make up for what he can get in terms of a signing bonus elsewhere.
The 24-year-old’s contract expires in June, and he can begin talks over a pre-contract that kicks in next season. Tottenham does need to improve their depth at forward as they need more players that can provide goals or create chances.
Although Dembélé is a quality player, it’s hard to look past his injury history and Spurs feeling comfortable paying high wages for a player who has missed 100 games due to injury since joining FC Barcelona in 2016.