For almost a week, the outcome of the soap opera Ousmane Dembélé was little more in doubt.
The future of the French world champion fit well in Barcelona where his contract ended on June 30.
Shortly before 11:00 p.m., a private plane carrying the former Rennes player landed this Sunday evening at El Prat airport in Barcelona.
Welcomed by the security officials of the Catalan club, the international striker tricolor (27 caps, 4 goals), will engage in the next few hours, again, with the Blaugranas.
🇬🇧Dembélé muy protegido por la seguridad del Barça landing in Barcelona
✍🏻A un paso de firmar su continuidad
📻 PROGRAMÓN @tjcope 23:30h#fcblive pic.twitter.com/9WXUM6NyRg
— Victor Navarro (@victor_nahe) July 10, 2022
To reach this agreement with forceps, it will have taken multiple meetings in recent weeks between the two parties.
Imagined, a time irreconcilable, the financial positions of the various protagonists of this file ended up getting closer little by little.
In the end, according to various sources, Dembélé still agreed to lower his claims, but a bonus system could allow him to benefit from a salary barely lower than the previous one estimated, according to Spanish sources, at 10 M€. net.
During last winter, he had, however, refused to stretch his commitment with Barça.
His representatives wanted, then, an exorbitant annual salary of 20 million euros net plus a bonus of 40 million euros.
Such an attitude had aroused the wrath of the Catalan leaders, who had not hesitated to put him on the transfer market at the time, then to leave him, for a time, in the stands.
Coach Xavi had, however, convinced his hierarchy to reinstate Dembélé so that Barça, in bad shape in La Liga, finished in the top 4 and qualified for the next Champions League.
Successful operation since the Catalans finished 2nd behind Real Madrid.
For his part, Dembélé had a brilliant end to the season by delivering 11 assists (plus a goal) in 15 La Liga games.
He will therefore evolve for a 6th season in a row with the Blaugrana at the start of the school year.
His goal now is to hitch the right wagon to participate in the World Cup in Qatar (November 21 - December 18).
He has not appeared in selection since June 19, 2021 against Hungary in the first round of the Euro (1-1).
Injured, he had to leave the tournament prematurely.
His physical fragility has, moreover, been the sad common thread of his five-year term in Catalonia with barely more than one out of two matches to his credit since his expensive recruitment for 135 million euros (bonus included) in Dortmund in 2017 .