Neither of Barcelona’s £100 million signings has paid off

Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho could go down as two of the most disappointing signings in the history of Barcelona. Considering that the club paid close to £300 million for them combined, they have barely returned the kind of quality that money would demand. 

The French winger has sustained yet another injury, this time with his national team in Euro 2020. According to the assessment by his medical team, Dembele will be out until October at the very least. This means that he will have missed the first 10 La Liga games of 21/22 by the time he is cleared to return. 

Dembele’s time at Camp Nou has been plagued by injuries. Given that his contract expires in 2022, he could leave for a free transfer if Barcelona don’t offer him a new deal. His £12 million salary is also a significant chunk off the books if he must leave the club. 

Elsewhere, Philippe Coutinho has also struggled to make a big impact at Camp Nou. He is currently out injured, nursing a meniscus injury. Barcelona still owe about €60 million to the bank for his transfer, and will listen to offers for the player this summer, with clubs from England such as Arsenal and Everton interested in him. 

Both players were signed to be replacements for Neymar, who left Barcelona for a world record fee. However, the void could ultimately be filled by the likes of Ansu Fati or Pedri, who are two of the most exciting youngsters in the squad and are also being selected regularly.