Ousmane Dembele left Barcelona squad ‘stunned’ with joke after signing new deal

The Frenchman quickly revealed that he was only joking

Ousmane Dembele reportedly left the Barcelona squad ‘stunned’ after announcing that he had requested the captaincy after signing a new contract.

The Frenchman ended speculation about his future by agreeing a new two-year deal at the Camp Nou, which runs until 2024.

Barcelona announced the 25-year-old’s contract extension with a low-budget – and quite underwhelming – video on social media last week.

Dembele could be seen rubbing out a digit from his original contract expiry date and replacing it with the details of his new deal.

2̵0̵2̵2̵
2024

𝐍𝐎𝐖, 𝐘𝐄𝐒! pic.twitter.com/Exv7olDDwc

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 14, 2022

Dembele makes Barcelona ‘request’

After agreeing to extend his stay with the Catalan giants, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo report that Dembele left the Barcelona squad ‘stunned’ by hilariously revealing that he had asked to be made captain as a sign of his commitment to the LaLiga club.

Understandably, his speech went down well with the players – with the squad erupting into laughter after the former Borussia Dortmund man revealed he was only joking.

The report adds that Dembele, who has registered 32 goals and 34 assists for Barca, is thought to be a ‘figure for jokes’ and is ‘appreciated in the dressing room’.

🗣️ Fernando Polo: “After his renewal, Dembélé gave a speech to the dressing room and said: ‘I am happy to continue here and I would like to be the captain!’.”

– “The players were shocked and then Ousmane said ‘I'm kidding 😂’.” pic.twitter.com/eg9q8N2HR8

— infosfcb 𝕏 (@infosfcb) July 18, 2022

Important season for Dembele

The winger will be keen to impress in the new campaign after struggling with injuries during his time in Spain. He scored just two goals in 32 appearances across all competitions last season.

Since his mega-money transfer from Dortmund in 2017, Dembele has recorded just 150 appearances for the Catalan club, registering 66 goal contributions.

Dembele will also face competition for his place following Barcelona’s signing of Leeds United man Raphinha, but it is thought that manager Xavi is a big fan of the Frenchman.

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