Barcelona suffers summer transfer setback with Dembele injury

FC Barcelona had a simple three-fold plan this summer, convince Messi to stay, sign players mostly on free transfers, and generate funds by offloading current players. However, the third part of the plan has suffered a blow in the form of an injury to Ousmane Dembele, who was one of the players that the club wanted to sell this summer.

The Frenchman will reportedly be sidelined for about three months, preventing the club from cashing in on him for the price they would have wanted. Dembele is still under contract with the Catalan giants until 2022, and they want to cash in on him now instead of risking losing him on a free transfer next summer.

The injury has also meant that Dembele will be unable to participate and raise his stock value during the ongoing 2020 European Championship. According to Marca, he is expected to undergo surgery, meaning he will be needing at least 3-4 months to fully recover. Needless to say, it will be hard to convince any potential buyers at this stage. Even though numerous clubs have expressed their interest in the player, the current injury will means that Barcelona may not be able to sell him for his true value.

The Frenchman has been plagued with injuries since arriving in Barcelona in 2017. He has missed a whopping total of 86 matches in that period, landing him on the chopping block this summer.

Barcelona may also decide to extend his deal, instead of losing him for free after making an investment of over 105 million euros on his move from Borussia Dortmund. He is still a valuable asset, and the Catalans may choose to ride out the latest injury storm to see how they can best handle the situation.

Meanwhile, Barcelona has also put Philippe Coutinho on the market as another player who might generate funds for the club this summer. He has recently recovered from a meniscus surgery, but the club is hoping that interested buyers will still come knocking on the door.

With just seven days to go before Lionel Messi's contract expires, Laporta wants to move fast to show the captain that the club will have a competitive roster for the coming season.