Agent: 'Ousmane Dembele contract standoff not down to money'

The agent of Ousmane Dembele has claimed that the winger's contract standoff with Barcelona is not for financial reasons.

With less than six months remaining on his contract, the Frenchman is now in a position where he can agree to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Barcelona have made multiple attempts to agree fresh terms with the 24-year-old without making a breakthrough at the negotiating table.

However, despite suggestions that the impasse is down to money, Dembele's representative Moussa Sissoko has said that the player's "day to day" life also comes into consideration.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Sissoko said: "Often when we talk about renewals, we talk about money, but it is not only about that. It is also the management of their day to day lives.

"The sporting management of Dembele, entering [the team] without training right after COVID, is really difficult for us to understand."

Sissoko was referring to Dembele's half-time introduction against Linares Deportivo in the Copa del Rey on January 5, a week after he had tested positive for coronavirus.