Report: PSG on verge of signing Barcelona's Dembele

Paris Saint-Germain are about to rob Barcelona of another star player.

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele agreed to a five-year contract with PSG, paving the way for the French giants to activate his release clause, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.

Dembele’s €50-million release clause expires Monday before doubling to €100 million, according to Laurens.

Barcelona reportedly offered to extend Dembele’s contract as well. It’s unclear if that includes a raise on his current wages. Dembele’s annual salary is €12 million before tax, per Capology.com.

PSG have raided Barcelona before in the transfer market. The serial Ligue 1 champions broke the transfer record in 2017 by activating Neymar’s €222-million release clause and exploited Barcelona’s dire financial situation in 2021 to sign Lionel Messi on a free transfer. Highly rated La Masia product Xavi Simons also left Barcelona for PSG in 2019.

Incidentally, Dembele joined Barcelona as a replacement for Neymar. The Catalan side paid an initial €105 million to acquire the Frenchman from Borussia Dortmund.

The 26-year-old was expected to leave Barcelona as a free agent last summer but reversed course by signing a two-year contract with the Blaugrana.

Dembele made just 16 starts in La Liga last season, scoring five goals. A hamstring injury forced him to miss 17 matches between the end of January and end of April, according to transfermarkt.com. The World Cup winner has suffered various hamstring injuries over the course of his career.