French star Ousmane Dembélé is currently facing significant anger from many at FC Barcelona, including management, teammates, coaching staff, and Catalan media close to the club, specifically the newspaper "Sport" alongside "Mundo Deportivo." This backlash stems from Dembélé's decision to reject Barcelona's request to renew his contract, as he is now in the last six months of his contract that ends next June, leaving him free to decide his future.
Despite Barcelona's pressing need for his services, Dembélé chose to decline the request. "Sport" labeled him a "mercenary player," with a headline stating "Dembélé is a mercenary... he only cares about money." The newspaper described him as a "rotten apple" in the club's dressing room, noting that Barcelona has paid him substantial sums that he does not deserve, offering little in return despite his vast potential. It highlighted that he does not appreciate the sacrifices made by the club for him or understand the difficult circumstances currently facing his team, branding him an "ungrateful player."
This was articulated in an article by a well-known writer for the newspaper, detailing what they termed Dembélé's "tricks" throughout his career to manipulate various club administrations, from Rennes in France to Dortmund in Germany, and then to Barcelona. The piece noted his frequent unexcused absences from Dortmund training, damaging his apartment in Germany to force his club to let him play for Barcelona, along with numerous other unexplained absences with Barcelona. The most recent incident cited was his secret wedding, to which none of his teammates were invited, further illustrating Dembélé's supposedly untrustworthy character.
Moreover, it was reported that during the final moments of negotiations for his contract renewal a few days ago—alongside the hefty salary he demanded—he requested a bonus of €45 million, including €15 million for his agent Moussa Sissoko. It is worth mentioning that Dembélé is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain according to French media, and is close to transferring to the French capital club next summer.
