Ousmane Dembele has surpassed Karim Benzema and Lionel Messi in the European assist statistics, as requests for the Barcelona midfielder to remain at Camp Nou grow stronger.
Since returning to Xavi’s starting lineup in February, Dembele has had an outstanding run of form, playing a major role in Barcelona’s ascension to second place in La Liga and progression to the Europa League’s knockout stages.
During their most recent meeting against Levante, the 24-year-old earned his 11th assist of the season, finding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a precise cross to open the scoring as the Blaugrana went on to win 3-2.
Dembele matches Benzema and Messi
With 11 assists this season, Dembele now leads the Liga assist charts, along with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
Dembele has nine assists since the turn of the year, a total that will only be surpassed by Barcelona great Lionel Messi in 2022, as he has established himself as a regular provider for his Paris Saint-Germain teammates in Ligue 1.
Ousmane Dembele Stats
In the Champions League 2021/22 season, Ousmane Dembélé had an average Infogol Player Rating of 6.59. Ousmane Dembélé has played 0 games in the UEFA Europa League season 2021/22. (plus 5 as a sub). They have scored 0 goals with 0 shots on target from a total of 3 shots (0.29 xG).
La Liga
| Year | Matches | Goals | Assists |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Supercopa de España
| Year | Matches | Goals | Assists | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
UEFA Champions League
| Year | Matches | Goals | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Will Dembele continue to play for Barcelona?
Dembele was heavily linked with a January transfer following rumours that his wage demands had caused a stalemate in contract extension talks with Barcelona, but a suitable buyer could not be identified.
The France international’s current contract expires in June, but a number of his teammates, notably Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres, have expressed their hope that he will sign a new contract after his return to form.
Barcelona has reopened contract talks with Ousmane Dembele, with sources telling ESPN that sporting director Mateu Alemany will meet with the forward’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, this week in Morocco.
Alemany came to Marrakech on Monday and will stay until Tuesday to discuss a possible new contract for Dembele, whose current contract expires at the end of June.
Alemany revealed on Sunday that Barcelona has softened their stance on Dembele, whom they had previously instructed to find a new club.
