Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has reiterated his desire to keep hold of Ousmane Dembele this summer despite Liverpool's interest in the forward.
The 22-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, made 42 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan club during the 2018-19 season.
Despite scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists during the campaign, the France international has found himself linked with a switch to the Premier League.
Barca are preparing for a huge squad overhaul this summer but must sell players in order to fund moves for new signings, and Dembele was reported to be on the list of potential departures.
Paris Saint-Germain's wantaway star Neymar has been linked with a sensational return to the Nou Camp, and he would seemingly take Dembele's spot in the first-team.
But according to Spanish daily Marca , Bartomeu has quashed those rumours and reportedly met with the player and his representatives to make clear his intention to keep Demeble in Barcelona .
It is claimed that Barca are 'counting on Dembele' as the Spanish giants wish to build a team of young stars including the Frenchman, new boy Frenkie de Jong and No.1 transfer target Matthijs de Ligt.
This latest development comes after reports in Spain claimed Barcelona are not looking to sell Dembele this summer and would only consider a transfer if "a very important offer" arrived.
The French World Cup winner has been linked with Liverpool in this and other transfer windows, with Jurgen Klopp known to be an admirer of a player the Reds looked at when he was at Rennes back in Brendan Rodgers' final summer at Anfield in 2015.
He eventually joined Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund a year later, and even ended up renting the German's former home after he became Liverpool manager in October 2015 following the sacking of Rodgers.
Things have been somewhat hit and miss for Dembele after joining Barca in the summer of 2017, with a mixture of fitness and discipline issues making life tough for him as he's sought to replace Neymar at the Nou Camp.
But, according to the latest reports, it seems Dembele will be given another season to prove his worth at the Nou Camp.
