Following the conclusion of the transfer window, one question lingering for a number of fans is what is the better option for Ousmane Dembele: Chelsea or Paris-Saint Germain?
Some media outlets reported on Monday that a deal was incredibly close but football.london understands this was far from being the case.
football.london also understands that Thomas Tuchel is a big fan of Dembele, having worked with him at Dortmund. Chelsea are interested and could move for him in the summer when he’ll be on a free transfer. But they will in all likelihood need to shift out an attacker (or two) already on their books.
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Could this mean someone like Christian Pulisic or potentially Hakim Ziyech leaves the Blues in the summer?
If this transfer condition was met, then it remains to be seen whether or not Tuchel would opt for the safer signing of his well-known former player or maybe risk some of the summer budget on a Premier League proven player like Raphinha.
Regardless of the decision made, former footballer Carlton Palmer has backed Tuchel to bring the former Dortmund star to Stamford Bridge.
He said via Give Me Sport: “I do (see Dembele signing for Chelsea). The Premier League is where everybody wants to play. So, I do see that as a deal that could be done in the summer, especially with him available on a free transfer.
“He’s worked with Tuchel before, Tuchel knows him, so it’s a perfect fit. I can 100% see that happening in the summer, especially given that he’s going to be available on a free transfer.”
Maybe the Blues have already taken Palmer up on his advice, with Shoot reporting that the 24-year-old already has a pre-contract agreement in the summer with one unnamed club.
Is that going to be PSG or Chelsea?
It has already been reported that the Parisians have a verbal agreement with the injury prone winger whilst it’s also known that the player in question would prefer a Premier League move, so it’s still in the balance regarding which of the two touted destinations will be the the eventual outcome of where the Les Bleus international’s future lies.
“We offered him the renewal, with a very good offer,” Barcelona reporter Joan Laporta told Spanish reporters in the aftermath of the January transfer window closing.
“Later it turned out that it was an economic issue, that he wanted more.
“We told him that he wanted to renew, but the issue became stuck. The agent took a position of not saying anything and that has consequences. We have done our best.
“We presented him with two proposals and they were good. We are very surprised that he did not accept. The last one was from an English club and he did not want to go, he preferred to stay here for six months.
“We think he has an agreement with another club. That’s what his agent has insinuated to us.”