Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Ousmane Dembele and Thomas Vermaelen

Barcelona reportedly won't face competition from Premier League side Manchester City in their mooted pursuit of Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele.

City, led by former Barca manager Pep Guardiola, reportedly held talks with the player in Manchester, according to French source Le 10 Sport (h/t Metro's Mark Brus). However, a report from Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star has refuted the idea City have met with Dembele: "Reports claiming the France ace had dinner with Guardiola and a tour of the Etihad complex are wide of the mark."

Cross did also note how Guardiola remains keen on Dembele but believes the potential bidding war for a player wanted by Barca and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain will put the City boss off.

The Blaugrana have already seen one offer for the former Rennes ace knocked back, per Cross: "Barca appear to be leading the chase to sign him and have tested the water with an opening bid of €45 million (£40 million). This has been rejected out of hand, with Dortmund bosses insisting Dembele is not for sale."

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Dortmund have stood firm, but Cross says Barcelona will persist with attempts to sign the 20-year-old: "But this will not deter Barca, who are willing to spend up to €80 million on Dembele and are confident of taking him to the Nou Camp."

Such determination is likely to deter Guardiola from following up his interest, per the report: "Starsport understands that while Guardiola likes Dembele, he is not prepared to get involved in a Dutch auction with the likes of Barca and PSG."

Dembele attracting a list of such illustrious suitors is hardly a surprise after a splendid first season in Dortmund. The France international scored 10 times and provided 18 assists in all competitions, according to WhoScored.com.

What sets Dembele apart is his mix of pace, technique and versatility. He can stretch defences from either flank while also boasting the touch and close control to beat markers and provide quality delivery out wide.

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Dembele's technical acumen extends to his flair and eye for a through pass, attributes he can use from central areas.

Dortmund's young star has everything a Barca side built to play, swift, stylish and possession-based attacking football would want. New manager Ernesto Valverde may want to start refreshing an ultra-talented forward line featuring two 30-year-olds in Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

At the very least, the former Athletic Bilbao boss will want to improve the options behind Messi, Suarez and Neymar after Paco Alcacer struggled last season. Dembele is a rising star who would play plenty of matches for a club expected to seriously compete on all fronts.

2 Clubs Interested in Barca Centre-Back

Thomas Vermaelen is wanted by both Torino and Besiktas, according to Football-Italia.net. The Belgium international centre-back is out of favour at the Camp Nou after spending last season on loan at AS Roma.

Vermaelen's spell at Roma wasn't a success, as he played only 12 competitive appearances amid recurring injury problems, per the report. Injury issues have been a common theme throughout his career, even since he moved from Ajax to Arsenal in 2009.

A quick defender with a keen eye for goal when healthy, the 31-year-old is still well thought of enough for Torino to want to take him on loan next season. However, the Serie A club want Barca to help pay part of the player's salary, per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football-Italia.net).

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Ironically, Vermaelen may still have a role at Barca if he could stay fit. Valverde's squad is hardly overflowing with quality at centre-back, despite the presence of Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti.

Yet those injury problems haven't gone away, so another move—even if it's only a loan—makes sense for both Vermaelen and Barcelona.

Similarly, Valverde would be smart to continue the club's pursuit of a rising young star like Dembele.