Barcelona ended up paying a staggering €148m to Borussia Dortmund for Ousmane Dembele, a report has revealed.

Dembele joined Barca back in 2017 as a marquee signing to replace Neymar, whose €222m release clause was triggered by Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar’s move to the Parc des Princes remains the most expensive transfer in football history.

Barcelona paid an initial €105m to sign Dembele, who had just turned 20 at the time and played only one season at the top level with Dortmund.

German outlet Sport BILD write that after add-ons, Dortmund would receive €148m all in for the winger, making him their most expensive export beyond even Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland.

Dembele had big shoes to fill at Camp Nou, but his time in Catalonia was severely hampered by injury concerns and a lack of chemistry with some of his other teammates.

He made 185 appearances across his six years at Barcelona, registering 40 goals and 43 assists. However, the Frenchman missed 141 matches because of injuries and fitness issues in that time.

Dembele won seven trophies with Barcelona and played a key role in their 2022/23 La Liga triumph, after which he was expected to stay at the club. However, PSG came in and signed him for €50.4m.

PSG knocked Barcelona out of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage, and Dembele was among their best performers, much to the ire of Barca fans. He is now among their most crucial players following Kylian Mbappe’s exit to Real Madrid.

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