Ex-Barcelona Star, Dembele Opens Up On PSG Transfer And Goalless Start

French professional football player, Ousmane Dembele, has revealed that he initially agreed to stay at Barcelona before Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) made their move, sharing insights into his slow start at the club.

The reigning Ligue 1 champions secured Dembele’s transfer by triggering a “private” clause in his contract that set his price at €50.4 million in the summer. Despite Barcelona’s desire to retain him, Dembele had a change of heart when PSG expressed their interest in bringing him to the Parc des Princes.

“Indeed, I said I would stay at Barcelona, but after contacts with PSG, I was convinced to leave,” Dembele explained during an interview with L’Equipe.

He emphasized that Kylian Mbappe played no role in his transfer, stating, “Kylian did not try to convince me. I came to Paris because I love the club, it is a French club, and I love it. I come from Evreux, not far from here. Everyone here talks about Paris Saint-Germain. It was written that one day, I would sign up for this club. I have many friends, supporters of the club, who always tried to convince me to come. Was it easy to choose after my best months at Barcelona? I wanted to sign for PSG.”

Despite struggling to score since joining PSG, Dembele remains confident in his abilities and is unworried about his goalless streak. He expressed, “I don’t judge my performances by the goals I score. You can score a goal and play a bad game and you can not score and still be very good. I will improve my stats. I sleep very well at night and I always trust myself. Even when it doesn’t work out, I try again.”

Dembele aims to break his goal drought as PSG faces AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday at San Siro.