Barcelona are finally on the brink of signing Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele, but it is going to cost them 10 times as much as it would have if they had bought him last summer. Barca officials met with the German club on Thursday in Monaco at the Champions League draw and have confirmed to Catalan media Mundo Deportivo that the meeting went ‘very well’. Dortmund officials appear to have echoed those sentiments and spoken of an ‘agreement in principle’ for £138million.
The sum includes add-ons payable depending on Champions League appearances and represents an astronomical mark-up on last year’s price. Barcelona watched Dembele when he was at Rennes last summer but in the end balked at a £12m asking price and he was signed by Bundesliga side Dortmund.
In a summer full of disappointments Barcelona are wary of last-minute problems and have not made any deal public yet but they are understood to be sufficiently confident to be planning a weekend presentation.