‘Time to sell Dembele’ – Barcelona should offload World Cup winner, says Rivaldo

The Camp Nou icon believes the France international winger has been given enough time to prove his worth and needs to be moved on in the summer

The time has come for to offload Ousmane Dembele, says Rivaldo, with the Frenchman having no part to play even before links to Neymar and Lautaro Martinez are taken into account.

The Liga giants invested part of the record-breaking fee they brought in from the sale of Neymar to in 2017 in acquiring a international winger from .

Barca were buying into Dembele’s potential and have seen the 22-year-old become a World Cup winner while on their books. He has, however, struggled for form and fitness throughout a spell at Camp Nou and seen his attitude called into question at regular intervals.

Rivaldo believes a highly-rated youngster has been given enough time to prove his worth, with those lines having been fluffed. With another transfer window set to open at some stage in the near future, Barca have been urged to find a buyer for Dembele and spend again on bringing Neymar back or luring Lautaro away from Inter.

The Blaugrana legend told Betfair: “Ousmane Dembele signed for Barcelona almost three years ago and he has already had enough time to establish himself in the club and prove his value. It's possible that he will never show his quality at the club.

“He is still a player with huge potential, but I think this summer could be the right opportunity for Barcelona to sell or even exchange him for a player they're chasing already.

“He's been unlucky with injuries, but he might also have tried to give more at some moments.

“Things haven't gone according to expectations and he might be able to revive his career at another club where he will feel more confident to play at his best.

“Barcelona seems to be trying to sign Neymar and Lautaro Martinez, so Dembele will probably struggle to get in the first team next season.

“Additionally, Barcelona would need to reduce its squad and earn some money if they really want to succeed in bringing in their current targets. To sign new players, others must leave.”

Dembele has made 74 appearances for Barcelona, with 19 goals recorded across those outings, but he faces fierce competition for places and is likely to see a battle for minutes intensify over the summer.