Barcelona Reportedly 'Haven't Ruled Out' Ousmane Dembele Summer Sale

Barcelona reportedly "haven't ruled out" selling Ousmane Dembele next summer amid concerns over his attitude.

According to Sport's Didac Peyret, "There are more and more doubts at Barcelona all the time" over his ability to fulfil his potential because of his professionalism.

Barca are concerned that Dembele has yet to show he has the right attitude despite their efforts to convince him "of the importance of living football 24 hours a day," but they are not considering an early exit for him in January. 

According to AS (h/t Football Espana), the club are worried he has developed an addiction to video games, which they believe has been the cause of several issues, including poor punctuality.

RAC1 and Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana) reported he recently missed training with a stomach bug but failed to notify the club of his absence until they were able to get in touch with him 90 minutes after the session started.

However, it is said club doctors examined him and did not find him to be suffering from gastroenteritis. Rather, he had seemingly lost track of time while gaming with friends.

Having splashed out a fee that could total €147 million (£130 million) for Dembele just last year, Barca would have been hoping the Frenchman would become a world-class operator at the Camp Nou, one who would go some way to replacing Lionel Messi when the time came.

Letting him go so soon would be a loss of face, but if the club feel they won't get the return on their investment they planned for after showing patience and giving him any support he needs, it wouldn't be too surprising if they let him go at the end of the season, provided they could recoup most of their money.

Barcelona blogger Kevin Williams believes the 21-year-old has not shown enough work ethic on the pitch, but Squawka's Muhammad Butt feels he deserves more credit:

Dembele has contributed six goals and two assists in all competitions this season, taking his tallies to 10 apiece in 38 matches for the Blaugrana. The winger has only completed 90 minutes for Barcelona on four occasions since his arrival at the Camp Nou, though.

Last season, that may have been because of the hamstring injury that kept him out for the first half of the campaign, as he spent the second half returning to fitness. But that he has completed 90 minutes just twice this season is perhaps indicative of an issue manager Ernesto Valverde has with him.

Off the pitch, Dembele did little to help his cause with his recent absence from training.

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney gave his take on the situation:

If Dembele wants to succeed at a club of Barcelona's stature, showing professionalism and a greater dedication to the cause would help in improving his prospects, because it's clear he's not lacking in talent.