Paris Saint-Germain have allegedly tabled a mammoth contract offer to Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele.
The France international now has less than two months left to run on his existing Blaugrana deal and will leave as a free agent this summer as things currently stand.
Barcelona attempted to offload Dembele for a cut-price fee in the January transfer window to avoid losing the nine-figure man on a free this summer, with the 24-year-old also struggling for form and fitness in the early stages of the campaign.
However, Dembele remained at the club and has since developed into one of Xavi's integral attackers, registering one goal and 11 assists in 17 La Liga matches during the 2021-22 season.
A new contract for the ex-Borussia Dortmund man is now thought to be a realistic possibility, and Barca are understood to have held positive talks with their attacker over fresh terms.
The Catalans' long-running financial problems could scupper their chances of tying Dembele down for longer, though, with journalist Toni Juanmarti claiming that PSG have tabled a €17m (£14.3m) offer to the Frenchman.
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Les Parisiens are expected to wave goodbye to Angel Di Maria on a free transfer this summer, while Kylian Mbappe's future also remains up in the air as he runs down the final few weeks of his deal with the Ligue 1 champions.
There is thought to be more optimism about the prospect of keeping Mbappe on the books at the Parc des Princes, but Dembele could be an option to replace the World Cup winner if Real Madrid do end up striking a deal for him.
Juanmarti adds that PSG are still waiting for a response from Dembele and are keen to hear back from the Barcelona man within the next 20 days, otherwise they will move on to other targets.
Agreeing a new contract with Barcelona is thought to be Dembele's priority, but the Catalans' latest contract offer supposedly still did not satisfy the Frenchman on the financial side of things.
Blaugrana manager Xavi recently lauded Dembele as an "example" amid his contract saga, with Chelsea and Manchester United also previously linked with a move for the former Rennes youngster.
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Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a £126m move in the summer of 2017, Dembele has gone on to make 146 appearances for the club in all competitions, posting identical statistics of 32 goals and 32 assists in that time.
Dembele missed the first few months of the current season with hamstring and knee injuries, though, which have restricted him to 28 appearances in all tournaments for Xavi's side.
The Frenchman played the full 90 minutes of last weekend's loss to Rayo Vallecano without managing to contribute but will aim to return to form in Sunday's battle with Mallorca at Camp Nou.
During his five years as a Barcelona player, Dembele has been a part of two La Liga-winning sides and two Copa del Rey triumphs, as well as collecting a Spanish Super Cup medal.
However, the forward has also missed no fewer than 102 games for the club due to various injury problems since his arrival, which limited him to a mere nine appearances in the 2019-20 season.
Ben Knapton
