Thomas Tuchel has described Ousmane Dembele as a player at the “top level” amid reports Chelsea may make a move for the Barcelona star this January.
The France international, who is out of contract in the summer, is expected to leave the Camp Nou this month after failing to agree a new deal with the La Liga giants.
“With Ousmane and his agent we began [contract] conversations around July so it’s been six months and a bit,” Barcelona’s director of football Mateu Alemany said this week.
“We’ve talked, we’ve talked, we’ve talked. Barca has made different offers. We’ve tried to find a way for the player to continue with us but these offers have been systematically rejected by his agents.
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“In this scenario, he and his agents have been informed that he must leave immediately because we want players committed to this project and therefore we hope that a transfer will take place before January 31.”
Reports in France claim Barcelona will demand around £16million for Dembele this month and Chelsea have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old.
Dembele worked with Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund and is understood to still admire the winger despite his injury issues; the Frenchman has played just a third of the minutes available over the past four-and-a-half seasons.
And the Chelsea head coach spoke glowingly about Dembele ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Tuchel said: “He’s a very good player. He’s at a top level. I’m very fortunate to have trained him. It was only one year [in Dortmund], should’ve been longer. I needed to leave and he decided to leave. From there we aren’t in closest contacts.
“He is in a situation [at Barcelona], I have no idea why, what the detail is. I know how I feel about it when it’s my players so it’s better not to talk.”
More to follow…