Zürcher Nachrichten - 'I won't give in to blackmail' - Dembele responds to Barca

EUR -
AED 3.829665
AFN 73.124937
ALL 98.671597
AMD 412.950691
ANG 1.876092
AOA 950.893358
ARS 1066.519947
AUD 1.66985
AWG 1.876763
AZN 1.768751
BAM 1.958611
BBD 2.101816
BDT 124.398516
BGN 1.961207
BHD 0.392199
BIF 3078.217348
BMD 1.042646
BND 1.41453
BOB 7.193323
BRL 6.648748
BSD 1.040994
BTN 88.610159
BWP 14.457747
BYN 3.406689
BYR 20435.86617
BZD 2.094706
CAD 1.495833
CDF 2992.39459
CHF 0.923263
CLF 0.037382
CLP 1031.479634
CNY 7.609756
CNH 7.617798
COP 4580.720255
CRC 528.5585
CUC 1.042646
CUP 27.630125
CVE 110.423461
CZK 25.213254
DJF 185.376021
DKK 7.479841
DOP 63.410997
DZD 140.599492
EGP 52.925809
ERN 15.639693
ETB 132.543204
FJD 2.417532
FKP 0.825757
GBP 0.831489
GEL 2.929895
GGP 0.825757
GHS 15.301959
GIP 0.825757
GMD 75.070472
GNF 8996.910876
GTQ 8.018507
GYD 217.79254
HKD 8.098958
HNL 26.448955
HRK 7.478803
HTG 136.11533
HUF 412.012008
IDR 16871.162963
ILS 3.805904
IMP 0.825757
INR 89.0337
IQD 1363.656894
IRR 43882.378225
ISK 145.500924
JEP 0.825757
JMD 162.192752
JOD 0.739547
JPY 164.035366
KES 134.543357
KGS 90.709698
KHR 4184.00419
KMF 486.003444
KPW 938.381027
KRW 1518.620823
KWD 0.321323
KYD 0.867545
KZT 539.283891
LAK 22765.669517
LBP 93219.873719
LKR 306.800269
LRD 189.461884
LSL 19.356377
LTL 3.078663
LVL 0.630686
LYD 5.110334
MAD 10.497765
MDL 19.206562
MGA 4910.046085
MKD 61.524778
MMK 3386.474294
MNT 3542.911765
MOP 8.327751
MRU 41.555634
MUR 49.07729
MVR 16.078621
MWK 1805.090367
MXN 21.047639
MYR 4.678398
MZN 66.628983
NAD 19.356377
NGN 1606.884965
NIO 38.304969
NOK 11.839112
NPR 141.776454
NZD 1.846977
OMR 0.400329
PAB 1.040994
PEN 3.876363
PGK 4.225063
PHP 61.161284
PKR 289.809186
PLN 4.272871
PYG 8118.650542
QAR 3.786033
RON 4.988333
RSD 116.996577
RUB 103.976124
RWF 1452.183934
SAR 3.914406
SBD 8.741082
SCR 14.865032
SDG 627.148703
SEK 11.552916
SGD 1.408193
SHP 0.825757
SLE 23.765491
SLL 21863.773344
SOS 594.953779
SRD 36.553098
STD 21580.671932
SVC 9.109072
SYP 2619.680194
SZL 19.364789
THB 35.543468
TJS 11.388343
TMT 3.659688
TND 3.319263
TOP 2.441978
TRY 36.689814
TTD 7.074152
TWD 34.098599
TZS 2523.812801
UAH 43.648437
UGX 3810.468153
USD 1.042646
UYU 46.336494
UZS 13439.285837
VES 53.775059
VND 26514.493709
VUV 123.785049
WST 2.88061
XAF 656.899674
XAG 0.035236
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.817804
XDR 0.798145
XOF 656.899674
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.052517
ZAR 19.454142
ZMK 9385.066686
ZMW 28.809342
ZWL 335.731662
  • SCS

    0.0800

    11.73

    +0.68%

  • RELX

    0.3000

    45.89

    +0.65%

  • RBGPF

    59.8000

    59.8

    +100%

  • RIO

    -0.0300

    59.2

    -0.05%

  • NGG

    -0.1600

    58.86

    -0.27%

  • VOD

    0.0600

    8.43

    +0.71%

  • CMSD

    0.1000

    23.65

    +0.42%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.24

    -0.14%

  • GSK

    -0.0300

    34.03

    -0.09%

  • CMSC

    -0.1321

    23.77

    -0.56%

  • BCE

    0.0600

    22.9

    +0.26%

  • BCC

    0.9500

    123.19

    +0.77%

  • AZN

    -0.3300

    66.3

    -0.5%

  • BTI

    0.0400

    36.26

    +0.11%

  • BP

    0.0400

    28.79

    +0.14%

  • JRI

    0.0500

    12.15

    +0.41%

'I won't give in to blackmail' - Dembele responds to Barca
'I won't give in to blackmail' - Dembele responds to Barca

'I won't give in to blackmail' - Dembele responds to Barca

Ousmane Dembele hit back at Barcelona on Thursday by saying he "won't give in to blackmail" after the club's director of football Mateu Alemany said the winger must leave before the end of January.

Text size:

Dembele's contract expires in the summer and talks over a new deal have broken down. Alemany said on Thursday morning "it seems obvious to us that the player does not want to continue at Barcelona" and "therefore we hope that a transfer will take place before January 31".

Dembele, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 in a deal worth 140 million euros ($158.9 million), was left out of the squad to face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.

Referring to the "gossip" surrounding him in recent years, Dembele wrote on social media: "From today it finishes. From today I am going to reply honestly, without giving in to any kind of blackmail."

"I forbid anyone from thinking I am not committed to the sporting project," Dembele added. "I forbid anyone from attributing intentions to me that I have never had."

Dembele appeared to suggest negotiations would continue, although notably did not say he wanted to stay at Barcelona.

"As you all know, there are negotiations," he wrote. "I leave my agent in charge of those, it's his area. My area is the ball, simply to play football and share moments of happiness with my teammates and all the fans."

Barca have been desperate to avoid Demebele leaving for free. With debts of over a billion euros, the club could at least pocket a fee for the 24-year-old if he is sold in the current transfer window.

"With Ousmane and his agent we began conversations around July so it's been six months and a bit," Alemany said earlier on Thursday.

"We've talked, we've talked, we've talked. Barca has made different offers.

"We've tried to find a way for the player to continue with us but these offers have been systematically rejected by his agents and today, January 20, eleven days before the last period of his contract ends, it seems obvious to us that the player does not want to continue at Barcelona and he is not committed to Barca's future project.

"In this scenario he and his agents have been informed that he must leave immediately because we want players committed to this project and therefore we hope that a transfer will take place before January 31."

Dembele did not travel with the rest of the squad to Bilbao on Thursday, with all indications suggesting he will not be involved in the team until a solution is found.

"The sporting consequence of all this, as agreed by our coach, is that we do not want to have players who are not committed to the project and who do not want to be at Barca," Alemany said.

"The club is obviously not the one that should decide this, it is the coach, and he has decided it.

"But he has all our support and we understand it perfectly. It seems to us absolutely the correct approach."

Barca coach Xavi Hernandez said on Wednesday "we cannot wait any longer" and that "either the player renews or we look for an exit for the player, there is no other possibility."

He also said he is "not contemplating" leaving Dembele sitting in the stands until the summer.

"It's a shame. He has played every possible minute since I have been coach," said Xavi.

Dembele has suffered numerous injuries in recent years and has largely been a huge disappointment at Camp Nou.

Yet after losing several key players to reduce the club's debts, Barca have been keen to keep Dembele, who despite his many setbacks remains one of their most talented players.

G.Kuhn--NZN