Paris Saint-Germain reportedly have five days to negotiate a deal with Barcelona for Ousmane Dembele after triggering the release clause in the winger's contract.
The Ligue 1 champions have identified the 26-year-old as a summer target amid uncertainty over the future of star attacker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has allegedly been placed on the transfer list by PSG after turning down the chance to activate a contract extension at the Parc des Princes, allowing him to leave for free in June 2024.
PSG are keen to cash in on Mbappe this summer and they are said to have accepted a world-record €300m (£259m) bid from Al-Hilal, but the 24-year-old – who has also attracted interest from Real Madrid and Premier League clubs – has no interest in moving to Saudi Arabia.
While Mbappe's long-term future in Paris remains unknown, Luis Enrique's side have stepped up their efforts to sign Dembele and they were recently claimed to have asked Barcelona for permission to speak with the winger.
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Now, a report from L'Equipe, via the Daily Mail, claims that the French champions have activated the €50m (£42.8m) release clause in Dembele's contract.
The Frenchman's release clause was valid until midnight of July 31, but it is understood that PSG have 'beaten the clock' by sending a letter to Barcelona to activate the clause, and they now have until Sunday to negotiate his transfer from Camp Nou.
The report adds that PSG may end up paying more than €50m (£42.8m) to sign the winger as they are exploring alternative payment methods to avoid forking out the big-money fee outright.
Dembele has entered the final year of his contract at Camp Nou and he has allegedly turned down Barca's latest offer to extend his stay at the club.
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Despite Barca's efforts to keep him in Catalonia, the France international has instead given the green light to join PSG and put pen to paper on a five-deal deal.
Dembele is now expected to end his six-year association with Barcelona, where he has scored 40 goals and provided 43 assists in 185 appearances across all competitions since his €135m (£115.5m) move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
The winger has won seven trophies during his time with Barca and he helped Xavi's side win the La Liga title last season after contributing with five goals and seven assists in 25 top-flight matches.
Dembele scored in Barca's 3-0 friendly win over rivals Real Madrid in Texas last weekend, but he is not expected to be involved in Wednesday's pre-season clash with AC Milan in Nevada.
Oliver Thomas
