Barcelona names price for Liverpool transfer target
Ousmane Dembele arrived at Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 but is yet to fully live up to his potential
Barcelona have slapped a £94million price-tag on Ousmane Dembele as Liverpoolreportedly weigh up an opening bid for the French winger.
The 22-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, made 42 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club during the 2018-19 season.
Despite scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists during the campaign, the France international has found himself under scrutiny with questions over his attitude and fitness.
The player reportedly angered staff and players by missing a training session in November before turning up late to another a month later.
It it his off-the-pitch antics and his fitness troubles that has led to uncertainty over his future at the Nou Camp and reports in Spain suggest Liverpool have contacted the Spanish giants regarding his availability.
AS has claimed that Barcelona want £94m if they are to part ways with the France international, a fee which would see them recoup the initial amount they paid Dortmund.
There is also an additional £35m of add-ons included in the current agreement between Barca and their German counterparts, but it is unclear whether any of those clauses have been activated yet.
Barca are preparing for a huge squad overhaul this summer but must sell players in order to fund moves for new signings, and Dembele is on the list of potential departures.
Paris Saint-Germain's wantaway star Neymar has been linked with a sensational return to the Nou Camp, and he would seemingly take Dembele's spot in the first-team.
This latest development comes after Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed in April that Ousmane Dembele is ‘much better’ than Neymar.
Speaking to Spanish television station TVE, he said: "It's not possible for Neymar to come to Barcelona as we have another sporting project with Dembele and Philippe Coutinho. We are happy with what we have.
"Dembele is a good professional player. He is a young guy who arrived at a huge club and that's not easy, but he has adapted and he is much better than Neymar."
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