Chelsea have stepped up their chase for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, offering the French international a four-year contract, according to reports.
The 25-year-old will most likely depart the La Liga side as a free agent this summer, with his deal expiring at the end of June.
According to Sport, Dembele has been offered a four-year deal by Chelsea to swap the Camp Nou for Stamford Bridge this summer.
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The winger made 32 appearances during the 2021/22 season in Spain, scoring twice and registering 13 assists after suffering with injuries towards the beginning of the campaign.
Dembele was one of the standout players towards the end of the season, featuring regularly under Xavi Hernandez as Barcelona finished as runners up to rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.
However, the French international looks likely to depart the club this summer, five years since joining from Thomas Tuchel's Borussia Dortmund side.
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The pair only worked together for a season but their time together was arguable Dembele's most successful campaign in his career, being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and awarded as the Rookie of the Season in the German top flight.
Tuchel's side are reportedly growing in confidence over a move to reunite Tuchel with Dembele this summer after initially showing interest in the January transfer window.
Sport have reported that the Blues have offered Dembele a four-year deal to make the move to London this transfer window, offering additional commission to convince the winger to become one of the first signings under the new ownership.
The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium took over from Roman Abramovich and are still yet to dip into the transfer market to help bolster Tuchel's squad ahead of next season.
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“He is a very good player when he is in his top level," Tuchel said of Dembele in January. "I am very fortunate to have trained him in my time at Dortmund. It was only one year, it should have been longer. I needed to leave and he decided to leave."
A reunion looks like it is edging ever closer, with the German hoping to add to his attacking options after Romelu Lukaku ended the Blues' top goalscorer in the 2021/22 campaign, netting 15 goals following his club-record move from Inter Milan last summer.
It remains to be seen as to what a Dembele arrival would mean for Chelsea's current attackers, with Christian Pulisic the most recent forward to be linked with a move away from the club as Liverpool, AC Milan and Juventus are reportedly interested in the American.
Topics: Chelsea, Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Thomas Tuchel
Nick Emms