Dortmund suspend forward Dembele for missing training

Borussia Dortmund have suspended Ousmane Dembele after he missed training without permission, as he wants to force a transfer to FC Barcelona after Dortmund turned down the opening offer of the Catalan football giants.

The 20-year-old France international will be suspended till after the German Cup opening round on Saturday, the German club announced on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Ousmane Dembele has consciously missed today's training sessions. We will of course sanction this misconduct," Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc said in a statement.

Dortmund have rejected Barcelona's first bid after both clubs held talks this week. The Spanish giants are scouting to find a replacement for departed Brazil star Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain recently.

"Barcelona has presented an offer that does not match the extraordinary footballing and otherwise status of the player and also not the current market situation. BVB have turned this offer down," Dortmund said.

"As there is no other offer from Barcelona to date, there will be no transfer. Currently it is not likely that there will be a transfer of our player," Dortmund said in an official statement.

According to media reports, Barcelona had tabled an offer of around $140 million to buy Dembele.

Dortmund will kick off their Bundesliga season 2017-2018 against Wolfsburg at the first round on August 19.

--IANS

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