Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany has informed Ousmane Dembele to “leave the club immediately” after repeatedly turning down the offer of a new contract.
The Catalan giants have been in talks with the France international since July over extending his existing deal, which runs out at the end of this season.
Dembele has struggled to establish himself as a key player at Camp Nou since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for an initial €105million due to persistent injury setbacks.
Barca head coach Xavi recently insisted Dembele could become the “best in the world” in his position as he underlined his desire for the forward to agree fresh terms.
However, the 24-year-old’s agent Moussa Sissoko this week told RMC Sport that he would not bow to “pressure” from Barca over his client’s future.
Sissoko also accused the club of making “threats of no longer playing in the side” rather than engaging in productive talks with Dembele.
That led to Xavi issuing an ultimatum on Wednesday when telling the former Dortmund attacker to either agree to the offer on the table or be sold in the January window.
And after he was left out of Barcelona’s squad for Thursday’s Copa del Rey last-16 tie with Athletic Bilbao, Alemany revealed time has now run out for Dembele.
