Dembele goes AWOL and still no word from Barcelona
German daily 'Kicker' revealed that Borussia Dprtmund have not heard from Barcelona in nine days, despite information from the Catalan club pointing out an agreement is 'close' to happening.
There is no way of stopping the merry-go-round that is Dembele's transfer. He was caught loading his car with suitcases, pressumably to travel to Barcelona, but now Dortmund haven't heard from the winger.
The German side remain firm in their stance regarding the suspension, with the player out of the squad and having to pay a fine for his deliberate absence. However, despite the 20-year-old's attempts to rock the boat, Dortmund will not budge in their asking price.
Barcelona general manager Pep Segura assured that deals for Dembele and Coutinho were 'close' to completion, which is the polar opposite of what is believed in Germany: Borussia Dortmund have not heard from the Catalan side in nine days.
Borussia Dortmund director general Hans-Joachim Watzke stated that Segura's statement was a wild attempt to deflect attention from the 'dizzy' defeat at the hands of Real Madrid, and it is not a true reflection of negotiations. 'Barcelona want to complete Dembele's transfer, but so far they have not come a milimetre closer', Watzke told 'Kicker'.
Dembele and Barcelona are nowhere to be seen, while Borussia Dortmund strengthen their stance in negotiations which are not as straightforward as Bartomeu and his club would like to believe.