Ousmane Dembele 'won't give in to blackmail' as Barcelona tell winger he must leave in January

Ousmane Dembele says he won't give in to blackmail after the club told him to leave.

Barcelona face the prospect of losing Dembele on a free transfer if he stays in Catalonia, as he is out of contract in the summer.

"As of today, I'm going to answer honestly without giving in to any form of blackmail," he said.

I don't want people to think I'm not committed to this project. I don't allow people to attribute intentions to me.

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I don't allow people to speak for me or my agent. I'm fully committed to the club and my coach and I'm still under contract.

I have always given my all for my teammates and the fans. That is not going to change.

I'm not a man who does things for money and I'm not a man who gives in to blackmail.

Love can be a variant of blackmail.

The director of football at Barcelona said he wants to leave the club after refusing to sign a new contract.

The terms of the new deal that Barcelona was attempting to sign Dembele to was lower than his current contract. He wasn't in the squad for Thursday's match.

In the month of July, we began conversations with Ousmane and his agents, and we have talked, spoken, and tried to find a way.

Their agents have rejected those offers. It seems obvious to us that the player does not want to continue at Barcelona and therefore is not committed to the future of the club.

In this scenario, he and his agents have been told that he must leave immediately, because we want players committed to this project, and therefore we expect a transfer before January 31.

The sporting consequence of all this is that we do not want to have with us players who are not committed to the project and who do not want to be at Barcelona and therefore the fact that he is not called up is no more than.

The coach has determined it, but the club isn't the one that should make the decision, but he has our support and we think it is a coherent attitude.

After signing for the club for a whopping $135 million, Dembele has struggled with injuries for much of his time in Spain.

The World Cup winner has started just six matches this season and has only scored one goal.

Since Xavi took over as manager in November, Dembele's involvement has increased dramatically, with all but one of his 11 appearances this season coming under the former Barcelona player.

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The January transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday January 31.

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