Chelsea have been handed a boost in the race for FC Barcelona forward, Ousmane Dembele.
Dembele is out of contract at the Camp Nou at the end of June, meaning he is able to leave the club on a free transfer.
So far, a number of teams such as Chelsea and PSG have been linked with a move for the Frenchman but there has, up until this point, been no clear frontrunner.
Now though, it is being reported by Nick Purewal that Ousmane Dembele is understood to have delayed the decision on his future in part until the Chelsea sale was complete.
And whilst that is not confirmation that Dembele has chosen Chelsea as his next club, it does suggest that he is pretty interested in a move to Stamford Bridge as, if he was not, he would not have waited until the takeover was completed.
Purewal also mentions that Bayern Munich and PSG are interested in the winger:
Ousmane Dembele is understood to have delayed the decision on his future in part until the #ChelseaFC #CFC sale was complete. The out-of-contract Barcelona forward has interest from PSG and Bayern among others. Chelsea could move closer into that mix too if they need a forward
— Nick Purewal (@NickPurewal) May 31, 2022
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The Dembele risk
Whoever signs Dembele, though, is taking something of a risk. The 25-year-old is clearly a talented player, as shown by his 13 assists in 21 La Liga appearances during 2021/22.
However, it is well documented that Dembele is one of the most injury-prone players around.
During his time at Barcelona, he has had 14 separate injury/illness issues, causing him to miss a staggering 102 games for La Blaugrana.