Dembele: Barcelona winger on Rennes Christmas list
According to reports in France, the Ligue 1 side are eager to bring their former player back to the Roazhon Park on loan for a Champions League push.
Stade Rennais are reportedly planning an audacious bid to bring Ousmane Dembélé back to Ligue 1 on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.
Dembélé has seen little action at Camp Nou this season due to a series of injuries and the summer arrival of Antoine Griezmann from Atlético and the Brittany-based side believe they may be able to persuade Barça to loan the 22-year-old winger for the remainder of the season for a Champions League push.
Rennes are currently third in Ligue 1, five points behind Marseille and two ahead of Lille. The Ligue 1 side have never competed in the Champions League and see the loan of Dembélé as a way to hand them a boost as they seek to maintain their place in the top four.
Rennes keen on short-term Dembélé boost
Dembélé has managed only nine appearances for Barcelona this season and a total of 492 minutes, scoring just once and finding himself making headlines for the wrong reasons, leading to some disquiet among Barça fans towards the France international. A spell away from the limelight in Spain in his native France may be the tonic Dembélé needs, although Rennes will have to also try and persuade the Camp Nou board to pick up some of his salary.
Meanwhile, Ouest France reports that Rennes are also looking at two more Frenchman to bolster their ranks: Olivier Giroud and Kevin Gameiro. The former has said he would like to return to Ligue 1 before the end of his career and is not seeing much pitch time at Chelsea this season with just 282 minutes to his name. Gameiro has already been approached by Lyon but is enjoying a good season at Valencia and is unlikely to want to leave Mestalla with Los Che also chasing a Champions League place via the league and into the last 16 of this season’s competition, where they will face Atalanta.