How can Barcelona replace Ousmane Dembele?

Ousmane Dembele has stunned Barcelona by asking to be allowed to move to PSG in this transfer window after signing a new contract with the Catalans last season.

Dembele was signed as a replacement for the irreplaceable Neymar in 2017, moving to Catalonia from Borussia Dortmund as one of the finest young attackers in the world at the time.

The Frenchman had an uneventful first four seasons at Barcelona as he was plagued by injury and disciplinary issues.

At times, it was tough for Barca to continue keeping him as the winger did not meet expectations and was not the player they wanted.

But as he matured on and off the field, Dembele became more disciplined and responsible, which made it easy for the Catalans to keep supporting him.

When Xavi Hernandez became their manager, the ex-midfielder fought hard to convince him to stay and sign a new contract last season, albeit with a release clause.

There has been so much happening around European football this summer, and PSG was one of the most affected clubs.

They lost Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe has refused to sign a new contract, suggesting he would leave them at the end of this season.

The Parisians targeted Barcelona again, as they did in 2017, and convinced Dembele to betray Barcelona tickets buyers and join them in Paris.

Buying Neymar was stunning, but stealing Dembele from Barca again shows PSG knows how to get a player from Camp Nou.

The move also shows that Dembele does not appreciate all the support Barca offered him throughout the years that he was injured and struggled with his discipline.

Another team would easily have abandoned the attacker and shipped him out when they could, and Barca will learn from this the harsh way again.

But now is not the time to wonder what could be different and wish they had allowed him to leave when it would be better to lose him than now.

Instead, the Catalans must focus on filling the huge void the French attacker leaves behind in Catalonia, and it would not be easy for them to achieve this, but there is no footballer in this world that cannot be replaced. But what are their options?

Buy Neymar

One of the best replies Barcelona can give to PSG for poaching Dembele is to buy Neymar back in this transfer window.

Considering the Catalans have well-pronounced financial problems, it is easy to think they surely cannot pull off the transfer.

However, that is very far from the truth at the moment because several happenings favour them if they move for Neymar.

The Brazilian has just asked PSG to allow him to leave this summer after fans attacked him in Paris last season.

This is yet another sensational news coming from the French city, which means they could start their season without the famed front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

While PSG tries to understand what has hit them, this is a good chance for Barcelona to get one back at them.

The last thing the Parisians want to do is keep Neymar at the club against his will, so they will likely be open to a solution.

Luis Enrique has already walked into a chaotic scene in Paris. Although he won the Champions League with Neymar in 2015 at Barcelona, the Spaniard will not want to keep a player that does not want to stay.

Barca now has to go to work on a deal that will bring the exciting but injury-prone Brazilian back to the club before this transfer window closes.

They may even succeed in adding him to their squad in a loan-to-buy agreement, as PSG desperately wants to rebuild its team without the players it has spent the most money trying to keep happy. 

Sign a new winger

Adding Neymar to their squad will be superb, but not an easy deal to pull off, so Barca must be open to trying other solutions, and one of them is signing an entirely new winger.

The Catalans have to show they are a top club by splashing the cash to attract a big talent to Catalonia as a replacement for Dembele.

Europe has several top wingers they can splash the cash on and attract to their team before this transfer window closes.

Barca will have a shortlist of targets who they believe can replace the Frenchman, but here are some players who will come in a do a great job if they bring them in as a replacement for Dembele.

Federico Chiesa, Juventus

Chiesa has laboured under Max Allegri at Juve in the last two seasons because the coach is too defensive-minded.

He even used the Italian star as a wing-back in some games last season, and the attacker is frustrated in Turin.

This gives Barcelona the chance to sign one of the best wingers in Europe and a player who singlehandedly helped Italy win Euro 2020.

Juve needs money to bolster their squad and balance the books, and he has just two seasons left on his current deal, so they might accept to sell him for 50m euros.

Son Heung-min, Tottenham

Son could be tempted by the prospect of trying to win a Champions League or another top trophy in the final seasons of his European career, which makes him one player Barca should try to sign.

Last season was poor for him and the Tottenham team, but Son won the Premier League’s Golden Boot in the previous campaign and is one player that will deliver under the right conditions.

As Spurs are on the verge of selling Kane for a huge fee, they will be reluctant to lose Son as well, but every player has a price.

If the South Korean is tempted, he could easily force the Premier League club to do a deal with Barcelona.

Kingsley Coman, Bayern Munich

Coman is already 27, but he is one of the most successful footballers we have ever seen, having won a league title in every season of his career.

The Frenchman has been important for Bayern Munich for years and was in superb form as they won the Champions League in 2020.

He will bring experience and is very similar to Dembele in terms of the ease with which both players can use either foot and play on both flanks.

Coman is now at the peak of his career, so signing him would be a superb piece of business; even though we expect Bayern to be reluctant to lose such an important player, so Barca must be ready to pay up.

Yannick Carrasco, Atletico Madrid

Barca manager Xavi Hernandez has openly courted Yannick Carrasco for months, and the departure of Dembele is probably the best reason for them to sign the Belgian.

Barca does have a clause that gives them a chance to sign the Atletico Madrid winger, and the 50m euros they will make from selling Dembele should go a long way in helping them complete the move.

Carrasco has been one of the best wingers in La Liga in the last few seasons and is one player the Catalans can be sure will deliver for them if he makes the move to Catalonia to replace Dembele.

However, he is not as young as the Frenchman; neither is he as versatile as the World Cup winner.

But Xavi must have a vision of how he wants to use the Belgian, and if Barca moves for him, it will be because there is a job he can do at Camp Nou.

Rely on their current options.

Without Dembele, Barcelona still has a good squad and can probably still do well in all competitions.

They now have an exciting Lamine Yamal as a player who could come in from the bench and change games.

There had been uncertainty around the future of the likes of Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Ansu Fanti, but now that Dembele has left, Barca will probably keep them and give them more chances.

It costs money to buy top players, and it might be much better to maintain your current squad than to add an individual who will not immediately impact the team.