“FC Barcelona and the player Ousmane Dembélé have reached an agreement for the player to sign a contract until June 30, 2024,” Barcelona said in a statement.
the french international he signed his new contract this Thursday in front of the cameras at Barcelona’s training camp in its sports city.
Staying at Barça was always my first option
“Staying at Barça was always my first option,” said Dembélé during the signing ceremony of his new contract.
“I feel very happy, Barcelona has been the club of my dreams since I was little. I really want the season to start to give it my all“, he added.
The Frenchman had already started training this week with his teammates, despite the fact that his new contract had not yet been officially announced, and he is ready to accompany the team on the US pre-season tour.
The agreement announced this Thursday puts an end to half a year of tug-of-war between the player and his representative and Barça, whose coach, Xavi Hernández, was interested in keeping the Frenchman in his ranks so it provides overflow.
“It’s been a long time, but now everyone is happy,” said the French attacker.
The tensions in these months would have come from the economic issue, with a Dembélé eager for an improvement and a club, spurred by economic emergencies, which put a lower contract on the table, according to the local press.
The Barcelona does not specify the economic terms of the new contractafter Dembélé ended his previous contract on June 30, but, according to the local press, he would have accepted a salary reduction.
According to the media outlet El Mundo Deportivo, Dembélé would have accepted a reduction of 40% of his salary to continue wearing azulgrana.