Ousmane Dembele has been suspended indefinitely by Borussia Dortmund as he continues fighting for a move to Barcelona.
The striker went AWOL on the eve of the Bundesliga start as he tries to force through a move to the Nou Camp as part of the Neymar replacement project.
And he looks like getting his wish after the German club released a statement detailing how he had been axed from their plans
The club said: “Borussia Dortmund has decided to keep the suspension of the player Ousmane Dembele from the team training up until further notice.
“Hans-Joachim Watzke, Michael Zorc and Peter Bosz were together on the first day of the first round of the 1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen on Saturday evening.”
Dortmund’s sporting director Zorc said: “Our focus now is on a concentrated preparation of the team for the Bundesliga opening match in Wolfsburg this coming weekend.
“Ousmane Dembele, of course, has the opportunity to do an individual training off the track.
“Apart from this opinion, Borussia Dortmund will not comment any further on the facts.”
The 20-year-old did not show up for training on Thursday and failed to answer calls from the Bundesliga club.
The player is apparently furious as a verbal agreement he had with Dortmund that the German club would let him move to an elite-level club is not being honoured.
Dembele has reportedly agreed a five-year deal worth £9m a season with Barca – and rejected overtures from Real Madrid.
The player, who joined Dortmund for a reported £13m from Rennes in May 2016, was not expected to reach great heights in his first season at the club.
But his impressive performances – he scored six goals and provided 12 assists – have made him one of the hottest young properties in Europe.
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