Barcelona legend Rivaldo believes his former club should sanction the sale of Ousmane Dembele, who has struggled with regular injury concerns. The France international joined the Blaugrana from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 and he has since been restricted to only 74 appearances across all competitions.

That has been due to the various hamstring injuries which have kept him out of action and Rivaldo feels the Catalan giants should either sell or offer him as a makeweight for one of their summer targets, he told: “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.”

Dembele has suffered eight separate injuries during his time with the club and he has missed 80 matches during this period. He is currently out of action with a long-term hamstring problem and is not expected to return to action until September. In such a case, the Blaugrana have less chances of offloading the attacker during the next transfer window unless any club is willing to take the gamble with the Frenchman’s services.

Dembele’s asking price has been reduced from £120m to around £50m but the Spanish outfit may still struggle to receive any cash offers, particularly with the financial impact because of the coronavirus shutdown. The Blaugrana are planning to rebuild their attack ahead of next season and they have been fancied to sign Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and former player Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.