Dembele to remain suspended, say Dortmund

FRANKFURT: Borussia Dortmund said Ousmane Dembele (pic) remained suspended “until further notice” for skipping training this week, as speculation continues to swirl over the wantaway forward’s possible move to Barcelona.

“Borussia Dortmund have decided to maintain the player Ousmane Dembele’s suspension from team training until further notice,” the Bundesliga outfit said in a statement.

Dembele was sanctioned after he failed to show up for practice on Thursday, the same day Dortmund announced they had rejected Barcelona’s opening offer for the France international.

The youngster was fined and initially suspended until Monday, missing Dortmund’s 4-0 win over Rielasingen-Arlen on Saturday.

“Our focus is now on a the preparation of the team for the Bundesliga opening match in Wolfsburg this coming weekend,” Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc said.

“Ousmane Dembele of course has the option to train separately from the group.”

Dembele, who at the age of just 20 is considered one of the top talents in Europe, has been hotly pursued by the Spanish giants to fill the void left by Neymar’s move to Paris St Germain

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for a world-record 222mil (RM1.1bil). German tabloid Bild has reported that

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Dortmund want an eye-watering 150mil (RM762mil) for their rising star, a price Barcelona have bristled at.

Dembele himself has made clear he is keen to join the Catalans and German media have suggested his no-show at training may have been intended to put pressure on the negotiations.

Dortmund said the initial bid made by Barcelona did not reflect the young winger’s “extraordinary” value or the current state of the transfer market. — AFP