Barcelona manager Xavi confirmed that Ousmane Dembele personally told his desire to move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, putting an end to his six-year tenure with the club.
It is believed that the player held a meeting with the main man where he explained how he actually feels at Barcelona. And according to AS, the player said:
“I want to continue here and win titles but in a healthy environment. Here there are always people throwing s**t at me.”
Dembele’s departure from Barcelona could be bittersweet; bitter because he was loved at the club and the management was stunned after knowing the decision and sweet because his departure would now allow the team to have a substantial breathing space while complying with the wage bill.
Xavi’s disappointment
Speaking after Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Milan in pre-season friendly, Xavi revealed that Dembele has personally asked to leave, adding that he has already spoken with Luis Enrique and with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
“It is a personal decision and we cannot do anything. It really hurts me because we have taken great care of him so that he was happy and continued to make a difference, but he has this proposal, he has said that he wants to leave and that is why he has not played,” said the manager.
What did Dembele actually say?
Furthermore, according to journalist Javi Miguel, during Dembele’s meeting with Xavi, the player told the manager that he heard he would be included in a swap deal with Raphinha and Gavi for Kylian Mbappe.
As one can suspect, the manager was surprised and explained to him that these are nothing but baseless rumours.
Apart from that, the forward assured Xavi that his move to PSG is not motivated by money despite the fact that the Ligue 1 side has agreed to triple his wages.
Now, Dembele indeed appreciates the support he got from Xavi, but the manager is certainly not convinced with his argument as to why he decided to leave.
Barcelona did what they could but the player remains firm in his decision to join PSG this summer.
As a result, the Blaugrana are asking the player to give up a part of the €25 million that he would receive from the transfer since he is leaving the team a mere 15 days before the new season starts.
As it turns out, however, neither the player nor his agent are willing to do so.
The post Dembele’s conversation with Xavi ahead of exit: “Want to continue but in a healthy environment” appeared first on Barca Universal.
