Dortmund forward Dembele joins FC Barcelona

Madrid, Aug 26 (IANS) French forward Ousmane Dembele will be FC Barcelona's new footballer this season after the Catalan club and Borussia Dortmund reached an agreement, the Spanish La Liga giants have announced.

According to a FC Barcelona statement on Friday, the deal with the German Bundesliga side included a transfer fee of 105 million euros ($124.7 million) plus add-ons upto 42 million euros ($50 million) in pursuit of the French forward, reports Xinhua news agency.

The 20-year-old Dembele will arrive on Sunday to undergo a medical on Monday, to sign his five-year contract and to be officially presented, the club said, adding that his buy out clause is set at 400 million euros ($477.25 million).

The France international was born in the French town of Vernon and turned professional at the age of 18 with Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais FC.

Dembele scored 10 goals in 49 matches with former German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund last season, and was third on the list of players with most assists in Europe, reaching 20 in all competitions.

Barcelona chief coach Ernesto Valverde said that he was excited by the acquisition of Dembele, who "guarantees depth, which is something we have lost and is something we need".

"He plays on both side of the attack and can also play as center forward, so he brings a lot of possibilities," Valverde said.

"He is very fast, plays deep, he is skillful and we are hoping that he can bring a lot of things to us. We are excited about this signing. What we may have lost in depth we probably gained with him."

The coach responded with irony when asked to compare Dembele with former Barcelona star Neymar, who recently left for Paris Saint-Germain.

"The difference is fundamental. Dembele is with us and Neymar isn't," Valverde said.