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Barcelona closing in on Dembele signing, but is it enough?

By Evan Siegel

ALTACH, AUSTRIA - AUGUST 05: Ousmane Dembele of Dortmund in action during the friendly match between AFC Sunderland v Borussia Dortmund at Cashpoint Arena on August 5, 2016 in Altach, Austria. (Photo by Deniz Calagan/Getty Images)
ALTACH, AUSTRIA - AUGUST 05: Ousmane Dembele of Dortmund in action during the friendly match between AFC Sunderland v Borussia Dortmund at Cashpoint Arena on August 5, 2016 in Altach, Austria. (Photo by Deniz Calagan/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona are closing in on the high-profile signing of Ousmane Dembele, but it may not be enough for a team looking to overtake its arch rivals.

Barcelona have seen heavy criticism come their way after their underwhelming recovery since the loss of Neymar. The Brazilian star’s move to PSG left fans wondering how the team would respond. To this point, the club has disappointed fans.

Barcelona replaced one Brazilian with another, signing Paulinho for just over forty million dollars. The hefty fee for the bench warmer was a surprising reality for Barcelona fans. The team doesn’t seem to currently have a plan for their future after the loss of such a big star. Neymar’s departure leaves a gaping hole in Barcelona’s frontline.

While Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will do plenty of goal scoring for the Blaugrana, one does have to wonder if the team is quite as strong as it was before, one that failed to become a serious threat to win the Champions League and failed to win the Spanish League as well.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Barcelona appear to finally be set to make a splashy signing that will help them over the long-term. Ousmane Dembele is nearing a move to Barcelona at long last, giving the club a youthful presence they have been lacking essentially since the departure of Xavi.

The 20-year-old is a stalwart on Borussia Dortmund but appears to be on the move to the Spanish superpower. A transfer fee would not be cheap. Barcelona can purchase just about anyone in the world after their massive intake of cash after the loss of Neymar, but a deal for Dembele would cost the team well over 100 million, possibly preventing future moves for Philippe Coutinho or other transfer targets.

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Dembele is one of the most coveted young stars around right now, but he is attempting to replace the irreplaceable. Barcelona will not suffer much in the tables for this upcoming year, but the club has lofty expectations ahead of another Champions League campaign.

Real Madrid is still ahead of them. Manchester United improved significantly. Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Manchester City are all still firmly in Champions League contention. One of course cannot forget the vastly improved PSG, who now finally have a true superstar to try to take down the bigger fish throughout Europe.

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Barcelona are making the right move in trying to sign a young star as talented and gifted as Ousmane Dembele, but until the team can consistently get younger and not puzzle fans with bizarre, out of out place signings like Paulinho, the team simply won’t be able to reach their goals.

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