While the Ousmane Dembélé transfer saga isn’t officially over, it does seem only a matter of time until he joins Paris Saint-Germain. The 26-year-old will be leaving FC Barcelona and returning to France.
As many wait for the former Stade Rennais star to join the French giants, former manager Julien Stéphan notes that the winger loves PSG and doesn’t choose randomly. Furthermore, Stéphan enjoys having players of Dembélé’s caliber in Ligue 1.
“A joy for Ligue 1 to see him return,” Stéphan said on RTL (h/t Paris Fans). “We have to measure how lucky we are to have an Ousmane Dembélé who is French. He is a rare player, with characteristics that very few players have. He is a good choice for PSG. PSG means something to Ousmane.
“He always makes career choices at clubs that mean something to him. It is important. When he was still playing in Rennes, he regularly spoke of PSG. We don’t make him do what he doesn’t want to do.”
Despite the player’s physical presence and ongoing discussions between the two clubs, reports reveal that Barcelona hasn’t sent the necessary transfer documents.
Consequently, the expected medical examination for Dembélé was postponed, impacting the transfer timeline. Nonetheless, all this seems to be a minor bump in the road for the Frenchman playing at the Parc des Princes this 2023–24 season.
The Spanish club must also settle the finances regarding whether the forward gets half of the €50 million after PSG triggered a release clause. Barcelona initially tried to convince Dembélé to give up some of that money due to the proximity of the start of the new season, but to no avail.
