For Barca, the biggest headache at the moment is Dembele's future. According to The World Sport, Barca gave Dembele an ultimatum, with the Frenchman having 48 hours to decide whether to accept a contract extension. If Dembele still refuses to renew his contract, Barca could send him to the stands.
After weeks of painstaking negotiations between Barca and Dembele, the club refined the offer to reach a deal with the Frenchman, but Dembele's requirements were not lowered, and he asked for a contract with a total income of 20 million euros (dembele's total income is currently 16 million euros), in addition to bonuses and commissions. Under the premise that many barca captains have cut their salaries and renewed their contracts, Dembele's request is considered unreasonable and infuriating.
Barrica wanted to pursue the possibility of selling him in the winter when they could not reach a contract renewal agreement with Dembele, but Dembele was not considering a move in the winter window, and his idea was to wait until the summer to leave at 0 price so that he could get a better contract at his new owner. But Barca's losses were enormous, as Barca spent a total of 145 million euros to sign Dembele from Dortmund. Dembele also knows that Barca could send him to the stands, which will greatly affect his competitive form and even his chances of playing in the World Cup in Qatar.
Harvey actually wanted to keep Dembele, making it clear when he first took office that renewing his contract with Dembele was a top priority. But Dembele did not actively work to stay, but instead put forward harsh conditions in the renewal negotiations with Barca. Originally, Harvey did not want to send Dembele to the stands, because it would affect the atmosphere in the dressing room, but at present, the development of the situation is out of control, and Harvey is also helpless.
Dembele's future hangs in the air, and Barca still don't rule out the possibility of signing Morata. But first Barca have to free up salary space, and the club believes that letting Dembele go in the winter window can facilitate Morata's deal. In addition, Barca also have to work hard to sign a salary reduction contract with Roberto, so that Morata is closer to Camp Nou.