BARCELONA – Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that surgery carried
out on Ousmane Dembele will keep him out for long enough for the club
to be given special dispensation to sign a replacement.
A statement issued by the club confirmed that Dembele had been
satisfactorily operated on, on Tuesday, by Doctor Lasse Lempainen in
Finland.
The statement said that the surgery "on the tendon next to the
hamstring of his right leg" will require a recuperation period of
"approximately six months."
This is more than the five months necessary to justify being given
permission to to sign a player to replace the France winger.
If the league's independent panel of doctors ratifies the medical
report Barcelona will be able to sign a player as long as he is
either out of contract or currently playing in Spain.
Media in Madrid have speculated that Barcelona are interested in
signing Willian Jose from Real Sociedad. Rumours have also linked the
club with Getafe forward Angel Rodriguez.