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Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele looks set to leave Barcelona in favour of a move to the Premier League. 

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Dembele has been offered big money contracts by two Premier League clubs in preparation of his free agency.

Dembele is out of contract at the end of the season and is therefore free to negotiate terms for a new contract with other clubs from January 1st.

Romano has described the situation as complicated, as despite initial plans of wanting to stay at Barcelona he will now not accept their offer unless they match the wages put up by the Premier League clubs.

Ousmane Dembélé has been approached by two Premier League clubs to sign as free agent, offering big salary. ?? #FCB

His plan was to stay, but he won’t sign a new deal if Barça don’t offer him salary he wants – situation now ‘really complicated’.

? More: https://t.co/SXxC83RpdL

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 29, 2021

But who could the clubs in question be?

First of we can rule out a number of clubs who probably would not be able to afford Dembele’s wages, which leaves us with seven realistic options for the end of the season – all of the top six plus Newcastle.

League leaders Manchester City could definitely afford him, but seeing as they are already stacked with quality wingers the move would make little sense. Furthermore, they will most likely prioritize a centre-forward in the summer following the departure of Ferran Torres.

Likewise, Chelsea could afford him but are already stacked up front so a transfer for him wouldn’t make much sense. Another thing is the way Chelsea play – it demands a lot the attacking players in terms of pressing and whether Dembele, a player who is now known for his injury susceptibility, would be suitable for this is another matter.

Could one of the title challengers really be after Dembele for the end of the season?

Liverpool are likely to see it the same way, and are therefore also unlikely to be one of the more interested parties. Even though they could use his quality in their squad for depth. Especially considering the likely departure of Divock Origi.

Manchester United are next. They are always linked with big name players who often make little sense to sign, and once again it could be the case here.

United are already bloated in the attacking department and even though interim manager Ralf Rangnick is set to allow a number of players to leave in order to cut down the size of the squad, United’s hierarchy would be offering Dembele the contract despite not yet having a full understanding of what the future holds for them as a club in terms of the teams management.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle are next, and they are the most likely of the clubs to have put offers in.

Arsenal look set to rediscover their European touch by the end of this season, and with a young and hungry squad they will need a player with some pedigree to come in and help the attacking players improve further. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks as if his time at Arsenal is finished following a disciplinary issue, while Alexandre Lacazette is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Aubameyang has been frozen out at Arsenal and stripped of the captaincy

Signing Dembele therefore makes sense from a squad building point of view, and Arsenal have developed a strong financial flow within the club in terms of wages so would definitely be able to afford him with little to no problems.

Tottenham are likely to see the situation in a similar light to Arsenal, but whereas The Gunners need the squad depth Tottenham are not in as much need. That being said, while Daniel Levy is known for being stingy with the money he wants to pay for transfers, signing Dembele wouldn’t be out of the realms of possibility considering he will cost nothing except for his wages and signing on fee (other expenses excluded as well).

This then leaves us with Newcastle. The Magpies are currently in the midst of a relegation scrap but are now one of the most well off clubs in world football after their Saudi-backed PIF takeover.

They could certainly afford the astronomical wages, and the player would certainly be an upgrade. But whether Dembele would choose Newcastle remains to be seen.

A few of the other 13 clubs not mentioned have a small case for it being them, but many could not afford the players wages and for many it would simply not make sense to pursue such a transfer.

The post Barcelona star to turn down clubs offer in favour of contracts offered by two mystery Premier League clubs appeared first on CaughtOffside.