Ousmane Dembele has officially become a free agent following the expiry of his contract with Barcelona.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is thought to have made the winger a key target, having coached him at Dortmund.

Dembele, on his part, is well aware of the interest from Chelsea, but has baulked at the contract offer from the Blues.

According to reports,  Dembele was left disappointed by Chelsea’s contract proposal and could now reconsider the offer on the table from Barcelona.

Barca have made it clear that they would like to keep the winger at Camp Nou, but he had been disappointed with the offer from Barcelona all the while, which is why he didn’t extend his contract with the Spanish side.

Barcelona’s salary proposal was less than what he earned at the club in his previous deal – and the player’s representatives had thought they could get a better deal elsewhere.

With Chelsea not meeting their expectations, Dembele is now set to sign a new contract with Barcelona.

Reputable transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that talks are now progressing between Barcelona and Dembele’s representatives over a new deal.

Romano revealed via a tweet: “Ousmane Dembélé deal. Laporta says there’s ‘no deadline’, but all parties feel now ‘optimistic’ to reach agremeent on two year deal. #FCB

“New contract on the table until June 2024. Talks are ‘progressing’ with Xavi pushing to keep Ousmane, but it’s still not 100% agreed.”

With this latest development, Chelsea’s move for Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele may have been aborted by FC Barcelona.