Barcelona Forward Set to Stay After Difficult Debut Season Despite Arsenal & Chelsea Links
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele will remain at the Catalan club this summer despite being linked with a move to the Premier League.
According to Spanish outlet Cope via Calciomercato, the 21-year-old Frenchman is eager to 'prove himself' at Camp Nou after a difficult first season in Spanish football, despite rumours linking with loan moves to the Premier League.
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Dembele joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017 for €105m, the second biggest transfer in football history at the time behind Neymar's move to PSG. However, injuries prevented the forward from showing his best form for the club in his debut season, having scored only four goals in 23 appearances across the campaign.
Although Dembele has so far struggled to adapt to life in Catalonia, Cope report that he will under no circumstances leave the club this summer. Arsenal have been linked with a loan move for the forward, while Chelsea have also been touted as a possible destination for Dembele after he put them to the sword in the Champions League in March.
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Dembele has enjoyed a meteoric rise to footballing superstardom since making his professional debut for Rennes in September 2015. Less than a year later, he joined Dortmund and had a blistering season in the Bundesliga, scoring ten goals and registering 21 assists to attract the interest of Barcelona.
The forward has been capped nine times by the French national team and has been selected for Didier Deschamps' squad to travel to the World Cup in Russia next month, alongside Barcelona teammate Samuel Umtiti.
