Barcelona-Dembele talks still hang in the balance despite Morocco meet

FC Barcelona fans were waiting with bated breath on the outcome of the meeting between the club's sporting director Mateu Alemany and Ousmane Dembele's agent Moussa Sissoko. However, they have been disappointed to learn that no agreement has been reached regarding the French winger's contract extension.

The Blaugrana reopened talks with the player's camp after mounting clamour for his renewal coming from the dressing room as well as the fans. Manager Xavi Hernandez has made it clear that he still has confidence in the player, and has continued to call him up as part of his squad. As such, Dembele has had the opportunity to show off his skills in recent months.

Alemany flew to Morocco earlier this week to have a sit-down with Sissoko once more, despite talks between the two sides breaking down over the winter. However, Barcelona always knew that they were coming into the meeting without an intention of changing their previous stance. Alemany even said that Dembele could stay if he is willing to adjust to what Barcelona are able to offer.

According to Marca, the meeting ended with "contradictory feelings." The club came in optimistic but were disappointed to receive word that the player has not dropped his financial demands. The fact is, Dembele is still seeking a salary package that he feels he deserves. With his recent performances, that feeling may have even been reinforced along with whatever offers he may have been receiving from other clubs.

The problem is, Barcelona is still deep in debt and they are not willing to dig a deeper financial hole for themselves. With the player's salary demands, they have once again lost hope on the renewal. On the other hand, Dembele's camp is calm about the situation. It is believed that they only saw the meeting as a way to ease tensions from the previous talks, and they are keen on sitting down to tackle the nitty gritty once more.

At the end of the day, the two sides are still butting heads about the financial aspects of the deal. Dembele knows his value and would not settle for far less than what he feels he deserves. Meanwhile, regardless of what Barcelona may feel about how much the player is worth, the fact is that they have limited resources. However, it seems that the player thinks the club has more to stretch but are simply unwilling to do so. This came to light after the club showed at least some buying power when they acquired a number of players in January.

Xavi has always been clear that he would want Dembele to stay, but he is also determined to put the club's interests first. Losing Dembele on a free transfer would be a big blow for the club, but they will also free themselves of his wages. Some big decisions will need to be made at the Camp Nou, but it is clear that the Dembele transfer saga is far from over.