Questioned on Sunday about the future of Ousmane Dembélé and whether PSG must do everything possible to keep their Ballon d’Or winner, Luis Enrique chose silence — quite literally.
The PSG coach remained almost motionless for several seconds, saying nothing for close to ten seconds before forcing a smile and replying, in French:
“That’s a question for the sporting management. You can speak to Luis Campos and ask him.”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of PSG’s Coupe de France round-of-32 match against Paris FC, Luis Enrique clearly showed his irritation when asked about Dembélé’s contractual situation.
A deliberate silence and a firm message
Asked directly about Dembélé’s future and the importance of retaining him, the Spanish coach opted for a long pause before redirecting the matter to the club’s sporting leadership.
Earlier in the press conference, Luis Enrique had already expressed frustration with what he described as “fake news”, in response to questions about ongoing contract talks and their potential impact on squad harmony.
“These are rumours. There are always rumours around PSG. We are used to it,” he said.
“It’s private and it will remain private. There is a lot of fake news. Some people might think it’s important to destabilise the players and the team, but that won’t happen.”
“Nothing to do with reality”
Luis Enrique insisted that negotiations — while normal at a club of PSG’s stature — do not affect the group:
“It’s normal to have negotiations, but that remains private. We know what we want, and that’s the most important thing.”
“We are calm and relaxed, as always. Normally, you have to manage problems on the pitch, but right now some people are trying to destabilise us from the outside with these fake stories. That has nothing to do with reality.”
Contract talks underway
As revealed on Friday by RMC Sport, PSG have officially opened talks to extend the contracts of Ousmane Dembéléand Bradley Barcola, both currently under contract until 2028.
The club has already submitted an initial proposal to the Ballon d’Or winner as well as to the French winger. Discussions between the different parties are expected to continue over the coming weeks.