Ousmane Dembele was very particular in descrbing what Barcelona was doing to him as ‘blackmail‘. Hours after the club said it wanted the French winger to leave by January 31, he, in a note on social media, forbid ‘anyone from attributing intentions to me that I have never had’. 

Interestingly, Ousmane Dembele’s statement, slamming Barcelona, had his French colleague and former Blaugrana Antoine Griezmann comment with a heart on fire ‘?❤️’ emoji.

Also read: Manchester United’s Anthony Martial on verge of Sevilla loan move

Griezmann, in a shock move in September 2021, returned to Atletico Madrid in a season-long loan move. The €120 million signing, with 35 goals in 105 games, was one of the many signings that might have and maybe still pinch Barcelona. The list of poor signings also include Phillipe Coutinho, who moved to Aston Villa on loan this season, Yerry Mina and now Ousmane Dembele. 

Barcelona, in a bid to replace Neymar, had broken their own club record for transfers to acquire Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 with a deal, including add-ons, worth 147 million euros (then $175 million).

Also read: Cameroon President Paul Biya ‘saddened’ by AFCON stampede that killed 8

The young forward was injured for long stretches of his first two seasons and really established himself as a regular starter only last season. He has 31 goals in 129 appearances for the Spanish giants.

In his statement, posted in French and Spanish, Dembele said that he is not a man who cheats, insinuating that his love for Barcelona ‘ is kind of blackmail’. 

“I am still under contract. I am fully at the disposal of my club and my coach. I am not a man who cheats and even less a man who has a habit of giving in to blackmail. Surely, love is a kind of blackmail. There are negotiations. I let my agent handle it, it is his turf.

“My field is football, simply playing football, sharing moments of joy with my team-mates, our supporters. Let’s focus on the essentials – winning,” he said. 

Also read: Bad day for Benzema: Missed penalty, injury, robbery plague Real Madrid striker

The player fired the shots after Barcelona’s director Mateu Alemany said that he needs to find a new club after having refused to agree to a new deal. His contract expires in June.

“During the six, seven months that we have been negotiating and talking, Barça has made several offers for Ousmane to continue with us, all of which have been rejected by his agents,” Alemany said.

“Given the situation, we have told the player and his agents that he must leave immediately, because we want players who are committed to the future of the team, and that he must leave before January 31.”

If the transfer doesn’t take place during the January window, Dembele is a free agent and Barcelona will not make any money from his transfer.

The 24-year-old was dropped from Barcelona’s squad that travelled to Bilbao on Thursday. The club lost their Copa Del Rey fixture 3-2. 

In his own lengthy statement posted in French and Spanish on his social media feeds, the winger argued that his future lies in the hands of his agent and that he just wishes to play, insinuating his relationship with Barca is “a kind of blackmail”.

“I forbid anyone to speak in my place, in place of my agent, who I have complete confidence in,” Dembele wrote on Instagram. “I am still under contract. I am fully at the disposal of my club and my coach.

“I am not a man who cheats and even less a man who has a habit of giving in to blackmail. Surely, love is a kind of blackmail. There are negotiations. I let my agent handle it, it is his turf.

“My field is football, simply playing football, sharing moments of joy with my team-mates, our supporters. Let’s focus on the essentials – winning.”