1st August, 2023
Paris Saint-Germain has activated a new ‘private’ clause in order to capture FC Barcelona striker Ousmane Dembele.
Transfer market specialist, Fabrizio Romano, confirmed this on Tuesday.
Separately, Mohamed Bouhafsi, one of the Italians’ French equivalents, relayed similar news and added that Dembele is expected to switch allegiances within the next 72 hours.
Dembele, who scored the opening goal of a 3-0 rout of Real Madrid in Arlington, Texas, became a villain the next day.
This was due to Barcelona’s growing skepticism that their €105 million plus add-ons signing from Borussia Dortmund would join PSG via the activation of his €50 million release clause, which was valid until midnight on July 31.
Despite head coach Xavi Hernandez being ‘very disappointed’ with Dembele and warning the 26-year-old not to follow Neymar’s trajectory, Dembele stayed with the 32-man squad currently on a preseason tour of the United States and travelled with them to Las Vegas for Wednesday’s final Stateside friendly against AC Milan.
Dembele was unable to deliver the €50 million to La Liga HQ because he remained on the other side of the Atlantic and did not return to mainland Europe.
His release clause in the Barcelona contract, which expires on June 30, 2024, has more than doubled to €100 million as of August 1.
Nonetheless, according to multiple sources, including Romano, Boufasi, and LEquipe, PSG will still pay the initial €50 million.
Dembele has reportedly decided to join PSG on a five-year contract for €20 million each season, giving Barcelona five days to negotiate his departure.