Ousmane Dembele Must Leave the Club in January, Says Club Director
France forward player Ousmane Dembele must leave the club before the January transfer window closes for both his sake as well as the Catalan club to ensure they get a fee as his contract ends in June, club director Mateu Alemany has said.
Gathogo Wanjiru 
Dembele is a free agent at the end of the season and has repeatedly turned down the offer of a new deal.
He joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 in a deal worth up to £135.5m but will be able to leave for nothing when his contract expires.
"It seems obvious that the player does not want to continue at Barca," said director of football Mateu Alemany.
Barcelona manager Xavi has already warned Dembele he must sign a new contract or leave the Spanish side.
Alemany said the club supports Xavi and agrees it is "absolutely the correct approach", with lengthy contract talks failing to reach an agreement.
"With Ousmane and his agent we began [contract] conversations around July so it's been six months and a bit," Alemany said.
"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.
"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."
The deal to sign Dembele was, at the time, the second most expensive transfer ever, but his career at the Nou Camp has been hampered by injuries.
The 24-year-old has been linked with a host of clubs, including Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool.
