Barcelona to offer Dembele to Liverpool as part of Salah transfer

VIGO, SPAIN - APRIL 17: Pione Sisto of Celta de Vigo competes fo the ball with Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona during the La Liga match between Celta de Vigo and Barcelona at Municipal Balaidos on April 17, 2018 in Vigo, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
VIGO, SPAIN - APRIL 17: Pione Sisto of Celta de Vigo competes fo the ball with Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona during the La Liga match between Celta de Vigo and Barcelona at Municipal Balaidos on April 17, 2018 in Vigo, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Liverpool are being offered transfer target Ousmane Dembele as bait to allow Barcelona to sign Reds attacker Mohamed Salah this summer.

Spanish sports magazine Don Balon are reporting that Liverpool are in negotiations for Barcelona forwards Ousmane Dembele.  While that should make Reds everywhere excited that is simply the good news; the bad news is Barca are only offering him as part exchange for Mohamed Salah.

There have been murmurs in the football world of Real Madrid’s interest in Salah. That is no surprise. Real sniff around every top talent in world football and the Egyptian King qualifies for that top table treatment.

More from Rush The Kop

It is impossible to say whether or not their interest is genuine or part of a ploy to unsettle the player and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool squad before their two sides face off this Saturday in the Champions League final.

Either way it has spooked Barcelona. They have watched their fierce La Liga rivals reel off three Champions League titles in four years with another one possible at the weekend. The thought of them adding Salah is too much, hence their interest in him. All that despite he plays in the same position as Barca mega-star Lionel Messi.

The Nou Camp side think they have the march on Real as they have something that Liverpool want; Ousmane Dembele.

While adding Dembele would slightly cushion the blow of losing Salah it would be nowhere near acceptable for most Liverpool fans. They have taken Salah deep into their hearts after a magnificent first season at Anfield. Losing him now would be disastrous.

Next: All of Rafa Benitez' Liverpool signings ranked 45 to 1!

At this point it is all just idle newspaper speculation. Liverpool want to tie Mohamed Salah down and he should be the next contract priority after Roberto Firmino signed a new long-term deal recently.