Bengaluru, Jan 24: Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele's time at Camp Nou is likely to be over in January with the Spanish club now declaring a strong stance on his future.
The French winger's contract is set to end within six months. Barcelona put all their efforts to offer him new terms with pay cut terms to help out with the club's dire financial situation.
But it is understood that Dembele pushed back negotiations several times and after months of indecision, it seems the club have lost patience.
The Catalan club now seemingly reluctant to restart talks again and have ordered the player and his agent to look for a buyer in January. Barcelona are desperate not to lose him for nothing. But it is understood that they now expect a cut-price deal for him.
As for the winger's next destination, it is likely the youngster will be in-demand given his relatively young age, fantastic track record as well as relatively moderate transfer fee. These are the three clubs that could seek a deal in this situation:
1. Juventus
The Serie A giants are currently fifth in the league and need a lift from the market. Moreover, the Serie A side are also scouring the market for a winger following the season-long injury to Federico Chiesa. Dembele's availability at this stage could attract them the most.
2. Manchester United
The Red Devils have plenty of options in the attack but are likely to lose a couple of them within six months of time. Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard could leave the club in January while Edinson Cavani is expected to leave at the end of the season.
For that reason, United could be tempted to offer the French international, who was linked with the club just a year back, a deal. Dembele could be an ideal fit in the United side due to his ability to play in any of the three attacking positions while being in the ideal age bracket.
3. Chelsea
Chelsea have also reportedly taken note of the situation and are currently planning to offer the winger a deal. But it is understood that Thomas Tuchel could only seek a loan deal for the player, offering a loan fee alongside covering the whole wage of the 24-year-old. Dembele played under Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund and developed a great connection. So the Blues could be a possible destination for him. But it will be interesting to see if Barcelona approve of a loan deal at this stage.