After weeks of negotiations, "Barcelona" finally found a replacement for the departed Neymar - Dortmund's talent Ousmane Dembele.
Brazil's transfer to "Paris Saint-Germain" became a record-breaking deal worth a mind-boggling €222 million. However, the Catalans did not fall far behind as Dembele became the second most expensive footballer in history.
The 20-year-old even surpassed his compatriot Paul Pogba, who returned to "Manchester United" last year, as "Barca" has already paid €105 million for him, with the sum potentially rising to €147 million.
The buyout clause in the forward's contract is now a more secure €400 million.
The Dembele transfer saga was not without twists reminiscent of melodramas. "Barcelona" had mountains of money from Neymar's departure, so it was logical that "Borussia" demanded more than the player would usually fetch.
However, the negotiations for "Liverpool" leader Philippe Coutinho did not go well for Barca, as the English club refused to sell him altogether, resulting in Barcelona having to focus on the Frenchman.
Dembele has expressed his joy at the attention from the La Liga vice-champions, but he also had to make sacrifices to ensure the transfer went through, being suspended indefinitely for missing a "Borussia" training session.
Fortunately for "Barcelona", the situation was resolved, and now the club awaits a serious reinforcement.
During the last season, Dembele scored 10 goals and made 21 assists in 49 matches in all competitions.
It is also worth mentioning that the Frenchman who arrived from "Rennes" in the summer of 2016 cost "Borussia" €15 million.
Benvingut @Dembouz!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 25, 2017
¡Bienvenido Dembélé!
Welcome Dembélé!
Bienvenue Dembélé!
#BeBarça pic.twitter.com/gTl0YXCEd6
