Barcelona have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of signing a replacement for Neymar after top target Ousmane Dembele reiterated his desire to stay at Borussia Dortmund.
The Spanish giants are on the market for a new forward with Neymar expected to complete a world record £193m move to Paris Saint-Germain this week and had earmarked Dembele as a potential replacement.
Dembele has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona since he moved to Dortmund from Rennes 12 months ago, but the France international is happy in Germany and wants to win more titles with Peter Bosz’s side.
“I’m not interested in speculation at all,” he told Bild, via Get German Football. “I’m happy in Dortmund. I made a conscious decision to come to this club after my time at Stade Rennes.
“I want to win the Champions League, I’d like to win the World Cup with France and obviously I want to win more titles with BVB.”
The 20-year-old enjoyed a breathtaking maiden campaign with Dortmund last season but Barcelona may have to shelve their interest and concentrate on other targets.
Dembele scored six goals and registered 12 assists in 32 league appearances last season to finish as Dortmund’s highest WhoScored rated player (7.44 rating). Not only that, but only Emil Forsberg (18) created more clear-cut chances in the Bundesliga than the Frenchman (17).
