Ousmane Dembele has been told to decide his future after a Barcelona official confirmed the Frenchman would be allowed to leave in this transfer window.

The Frenchman has been left out of recent Barcelona squads as his contract is set to expire in the summer and a renewal is looking increasingly unlikely.

He was told earlier this week by director of football Mateu Alemany that he should be looking to leave the club 'as soon as possible' as Barcelona only want 'players that are committed.'  

 Ousmane Dembele is out of contract this summer and has been told he is allowed to leave

'We understand Dembele's decision is to not continue (at Barça) and we've communicated our decision (to leave him out),' Alemany said.

'We want players that are committed to the club and we have told him he has to leave the club as soon as possible.

'We started talks in July. We have made several offers, which were all rejected. He has been told that he must leave the club, he is not committed to the project.'

But his manager Xavi has left the door open for a potential return to the first team and said he needs to 'decide his future.'  

'Ousmane Dembele situation has not changed,' Xavi said

Barcelona manager Xavi: “Ousmane Dembélé situation has not changed. He’s working well, he’s relaxed and calm but he needs to decide his future - he knows how it works”. 🇫🇷 #FCB

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 22, 2022

'He’s working well, he’s relaxed and calm but he needs to decide his future - he knows how it works.'

When the 24-year-old moved to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, he was predicted to be a player capable of dominating the football scene for years to come but that potential has yet to be fulfilled. 

In five seasons at the Catalan club, he has made 129 appearances, scoring 31 goals and registering 23 assists but his time has been dominated by long periods on the treatment table.

He has missed 82 games as muscular injuries, particularly in his hamstrings, have seen his game time cut dramatically. 

Dembele has also come in for criticism from Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov who said he was 'tarnishing' the club's image.

'If you don't want to be at Barcelona, at least don't tarnish the badge,' the former Barca forward told TUDN, via Marca.