Liverpool and Newcastle set to miss out on Dembele, with bookies convinced he'll remain at Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele odds-on to remain at Barca with the Xavi factor key to persuading him to sign a new deal.
Dembele, who was signed by Barcelona in 2017 for over £120million, is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning he can leave the Spanish giants for free. Dembele can start to negotiate with clubs outside of Spain from January 1.
The France international has been plagued by a series of long-term injuries and has missed a string of games in every season since his move to Spain.
One of the clubs strongly linked with his signing is soon to be big-spending Newcastle, who are one of the few clubs who could offer him an increase on his already substantial wages.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a confirmed fan of Dembele and they are strongly linked too, and it is those two who are leading the market for clubs who could land the Frenchman.
Of his suitors, the bookies make Newcastle 6/1 favourites, with Liverpool 9/1. Premier League champions Manchester City are 11/1 with German giants Bayern Munich 12/1 to bring him back to the Bundesliga.