Ousmane Dembele struggles in the La Liga has seen him been heavily linked with a move from Spain this summer.
The 21- year- old became the club’s record signing ( eventually usurped by Coutinho £140m switch from Liverpool) , after making a £135.5m move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
But, the prospect has struggled to replicate his resounding success at BVB for the Spanish champions and was often been hindered by niggling injuries which eventually led to limited first-team chances in Spain.
Reports have emerged in recent weeks that Arsenal and Liverpool were actively monitoring the situation of the youngster ahead of a potentially prizing the Frenchman away from the Camp Nou this summer.
However, Barca’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has refuted claims the club were looking to get rid of the youngster and has insisted the prospect is a long-term investment and thus would not be sold under any normal circumstances.
‘’Dembele will go nowhere. He and [Philippe] Coutinho are a big investment for us,’ Bartomeu stated, according to Spanish news outlet Sport.
‘’They are very important to our project and we expect a lot from them.
Coutinho in the last four months has been very active in the team but Dembele is a very young player and talented and we expect great things.
Next season will be different. ‘It’s not easy to play at Barca in your first year because the style of football is quite different from at other teams.’
Despite his mixed performances for the Catalan side last campaign, Dembele was included in France under- 23 man squad for the World cup and the starlet would been keen on impressing in football biggest stage.
