Ousmane Dembélé’s agent has criticised Xavi Hernandez over his management of players.
Dembélé is currently locked in a contract stalemate with Barcelona, with talks going very slowly.
The winger is said to want to stick around at Camp Nou, but the terms need to be right and Barca have financial shortcomings.
That means Dembélé is only likely to be offered a reduced deal, and that is the reason most are citing for the current contract stand-off between Barca and the winger.
Though, according to Dembélé’s agent Moussa Sissoko, the issue is not about money.
Sissoko is said to have told L’Equipe (via Sport): “He speaks a lot but it is not a question of money. It’s a question of day to day.
“This sporting management, playing without having trained after coming out of covid, it’s difficult to understand.”
Dembélé has struggled for fitness at Barcelona since his 2017 arrival, and Barca’s medical staff have taken plenty of blame.
Clearly, Dembélé’s agent feels his client has been mismanaged and wants promises of better before a new long-term deal is agreed.
Dembélé is now free to agree a pre-contract agreement with any club outside Spain ahead of the summer, but he will continue to give Barca an opportunity to tie him down first.
