Borussia believe Dembele 'would not behave like this' to join any club other than Barcelona

It is no secret that Barcelona's rather public pursuit of Ousmane Dembele has totally disrupted Borussia Dortmund's preparations for the new season and with the Frenchman looking to force a move, Hans-Joachim Watzke suggested the forward wouldn't have behaved like this for anyone but the Azulgrana.

The German club's general manager has been left exasperated by the attitude of the former Stade Rennes winger after he went AWOL from training before being suspended indefinitely.Opinion amongst Dortmund supporters also appears to have turned against a player who improved monumentally in his debut season in the Bundesliga yet Watzke still maintains that it is only the personal attachment he has to Los Cules that is influencing this behaviour.

"[Dembele] is a 20-year-old boy and he isn't mature but it is clear that he wouldn't behave like this in order to join any other team in the world, Barcelona is very special to him," he explained.Perhaps what has unsettled many involved in these negotiations is the timing, nobody could have foreseen Neymar's spectacular departure to Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of the summer and it has the Blaugrana scrambling to replace him.Watzke points to this as one of the reasons why the German club are so vehemently opposed to a transfer on what would be considered reasonable terms with it having been previously accepted that Dembele wanted to join Barcelona at some point in the future."He always said he would like to go to Barcelona but he knew that with Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi all there that it would be difficult," added Watzke. "We told him that we accepted this wish but that we couldn't allow it after just one year with us.

"However the need for a marquee signing as well as a player to take the Brazilian's position in the team has changed Los Cules' position and thus moved the goalposts with regards to Dembele. A move to the Camp Nou is now possible and it would be a huge surprise if he wasn't a nailed-on starter for the entire season - provided he joins.In the eyes of the 58-year-old, the reputation of the Catalan giants has taken a sizable knock and it is likely this will also be the feeling amongst other German clubs too."I considered Barcelona to be a huge club, one with respect but I'm not so sure anymore," Watzke intimated.

Dortmund will not budge on their stance however with the player's actions failing to force their hand, something Watzke made clear."Dembele is Barcelona's first choice," he noted. "They have no plan B or C."We refuse to move from the fee we have asked for and will not accept a penny less."