Dortmund suspend absent striker Dembele after rejecting bid from Barcelona
Barcelona have failed with a bid for Borussia Dortmund striker Ousmane Dembele as they seek a replacement for Neymar.
The 20-year-old Frenchman skipped training with Dortmund yesterday and was swiftly suspended until next week by the Bundesliga club.
In a statement to the German stock exchange, Dortmund said talks with Barcelona had taken place but that an offer had been refused.
Dortmund said Barcelona’s bid “did not correspond... to the present economic situation of the European transfer market”.
Dembele was a no-show for training as Dortmund prepared for their Dfb-pokal firstround encounter with minnows Rielasingen-arlen, and news of Barcelona’s firm interest may explain his rebellion.
Barcelona’s efforts to replace Neymar are proving challenging. They have reportedly also had a £90 million offer rejected for Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho.
Elsewhere, Brighton have confirmed they are close to completing the capture of Colombia winger Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge.
The Premier League newcomers have agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old, and a fee with the Belgium outfit, and expect to seal the transfer in the next 24 hours. The Seagulls will set a new club transfer fee for the second time in a week if the deal goes through as anticipated.
Brighton broke their transfer record by signing midfielder Davy Propper from PSV Eindhoven on Monday, and now hope to have done so againwithizquierdo–inadeal thought to be worth £13.5m.
Crystal Palace have announced the season-long loan signing of Manchester United’s Holland Under-21 international defender Timothy Fosu-mensah.
The 19-year-old will link up with new Eagles boss and compatriot Frank de Boer ahead of the new Premier League season.
Atalanta have completed their move for Middlesbrough midfielder Marten de Roon 13 months after selling him to the Teessiders for £12m. The fee the Italian club has paid for its former player has not been released under a privacy clause.