Paris Saint Germain are trying to negotiate the purchase of Ousmane Dembele from European rivals FC Barcelona, according to El Nacional.

The winger has recently returned from injury after being sidelined during an away trip to Girona in January.

Before that, however, the 25-year-old had risen to become one of the best widemen and provider of assists in world football despite once appearing to be on his way out of his current club.

In early 2022, Dembele and his agent Moussa Sissoko struggled to reach an agreement for a contract extension.

Many fans and pundits demanded that the player be sent to watch the rest of the season from the stands as punishment, yet head coach Xavi Hernandez refused and improved the player to the extent that he eventually committed to another two years at Camp Nou on reduced pay.

This was considered a master stroke by the soon-to-be outgoing sporting director Mateu Alemany, who was seen as trumping Sissoko at the negotiation table after his exorbitant demands when it came to Dembele's salary.

Some 12 months later, however, a concession that will see Dembele's €100 million ($110.5 million) release clause reduced to €50 million ($55 million) this summer could come back to haunt Barca.

With Bayern Munich already having told the Catalans they will pay the fee according to El Nacional, the same newspaper has reported that Paris Saint Germain are already trying to negotiate his capture.

Though Dembele seems happy and settled in Catalonia, he could be pushed to make a move by his agent considering that Sissoko and his client can directly pocket half of the sum.

Qatari-backed giants PSG can also offer more than Barca in terms of pay, and chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes that he can be the perfect partner to Kylian Mbappe on the front line with Lionel Messi and Neymar likely to be leaving the French capital.

Any potential exit of the number '11' would be disastrous for Xavi Hernandez's first team, however, and leave it short-staffed on the wings.

Though there is only space for one pure wideman in the current four-man midfield system, Dembele is the out-and-out first choice while the likes of positional rivals Ansu Fati, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres could all be sold in the upcoming transfer window.