In a way, Barcelona was turning into the Robert E. Lee of world football — in desperate need of some good press. Barca fans finally got something to cheer about Friday with the announcement the club signed 20-year-old Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund for $125 million plus add ons.
Benvingut @Dembouz!
¡Bienvenido Dembélé!
Welcome Dembélé!
Bienvenue Dembélé!
#BeBarça pic.twitter.com/gTl0YXCEd6— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 25, 2017
Dembélé, a 20-year-old French winger, became the most expensive sale in Bundesliga history after acting like a spoiled child to force the move. Dortmund suspended the player for refusing to train.
Dortmund bought Dembélé last year from Rennes for less than $18 million and now the French club will likely see around a $23.75 million windfall from the deal.
Dembélé had a breakout season with Dortmund, scoring 10 goals and adding 21 assists for Die Schwarzgelben as a winger who can also operate centrally. He had 12 goals in his lone season in Ligue 1 with Rennes.
The youngster, who has seven caps with France, will be called upon to fill the void left by Neymar, who left for $263 million for Paris Saint-Germain. Dembélé will even take over Neymar’s No. 11 jersey, as if taking his spot in the starting lineup wasn’t pressure enough.
The shirt number for @Dembouz is… pic.twitter.com/ShAbkc444o
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 25, 2017
Dembélé’s move is big news for fans of Team USA. With Dembélé out of the picture, Christian Pulisic will see a lot more playing time this season. Who knows, maybe Pulisic will join Dembélé at Barcelona in a year or two, or maybe the two will become rivals when Pulisic becomes the first American Galactico with Real Madrid.
If Dembélé, a 20-year-old with two years of top-flight experience, is worth $125 million, who knows what Pulisic will be worth in the near future, even if he is an American.
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