Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has praised Thomas Tuchel, sparking more speculation about a potential move to Chelsea.

Dembele worked under Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund, and the Frenchman said he may not have even moved to Barca in 2017 if Tuchel had stayed on with the Bundesliga club:

“Thomas Tuchel really convinced me, he is my favourite manager. With Thomas Tuchel I played a bit more on the right side at the beginning of the season, and then I was moved more centrally, in the 10 position, sometimes even in the midfield three you see. And he told me to stay a bit more central, have an espresso as he used to say to me, the ball will come to you and then you will go. It would have been hard to leave Dortmund if Tuchel had stayed.”

There is a growing likelihood that Dembele will leave Barcelona this summer, with the 23-year-old closing in on the final twelve months of his contract at the Camp Nou. Reports in the Catalan media at the start of last month linked Chelsea, Manchester United and Juventus with the player.

It is believed that Dembele could be sold for around €60m (£52m) if he doesn’t extend his deal with Barca. The France international is generally most comfortable playing off the right-wing and, it must be said, that the Blues already have a number of players who can play in that position.

Whether there could be some summer departures that could free up space in the squad for the forward to be signed, we shall have to wait and see.