Barcelona have tabled a second bid of €130 million for Borussia Dortmund star Ousname Dembele, according to AS.
Earlier today, reports emerged that Borussia Dortmund will not negotiate with Barcelona over a price for Dembele as the clock keeps ticking in their stand-off with the want-away winger.
Dortmund suspended Dembele indefinitely on August 10 when the 20-year-old boycotted training in protest after the German club rejected an initial bid from Barcelona.
The Spanish giants want to sign Dembele and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho to replace Neymar, who left for Paris Saint-Germain for a record €222 million ($261m).
However, Dembele has a Dortmund contract until 2021 and reports claim the Germans want in excess of €130 million for the player they paid Rennes €15m for last year.
“We are prepared to sell him and what we want is on the table,” confirmed Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, putting the ball firmly in Barcelona’s court.
“When it’s not met, Dembele will stay with us.
“We will not negotiate.”
Last week, no sooner had Barcelona’s general manager Pep Segura said they were “close” to a deal with Dembele than Watzke fired back things “had not moved forward one millimetre”.
Dembele has already quit his accommodation in Dortmund and moved back to France.
However, if he fails in his bid to join Barcelona Watzke says he will have to eat significant humble pie with the Borussia squad.
He was banned when Dortmund romped to a 3-0 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday in the opening Bundesliga match of the new season.
Christian Pulisic, Dembele’s replacement on the right wing, scored and set up a goal in a superb display.
Officially, Watzke says Barcelona have until September 1, when the transfer window closes, to raise their offer.
However, German daily Bild claim they have told Barcelona that they have until this Sunday to meet Dortmund’s price.
The ongoing saga has seen Watzke join calls for the transfer window to close one month sooner, on August 1 instead of September 1, to end a repeat performance.
“In the summer, the fans look forward to the season and when it starts, it should be about football, not this theatre,” he grumbled.
Having lost Robert Lewandowski in 2014 on a free-transfer to arch rivals Bayern, all Dortmund stars are now on water-tight contracts, which are regularly extended.
Dortmund’s stance with Dembele is a warning to any of their top players who might be tempted by big-name clubs.