OUSMANE DEMBELE always keeps an eye on Premier League results – but not for the reasons you may think.
The Barcelona forward is said to be a massive fan of Leeds and their star striker, Patrick Bamford.
Speaking on The Official Leeds United Podcast, Bamford said: “After the Fulham game, [team-mate Illan Meslier] said he needed my shirt and I asked who for and he said Dembele.
“He said, ‘yeah, he wants your and Kalvin’s shirts because he’s a massive fan of Leeds and he watches every game’.
“And I was like, ‘are you serious?’
“I told [Meslier] that he had to get my his shirt in return and he facetimed me the other day at midnight and showed me this Barcelona shirt that said: ‘To my bro Bamford, from Dembele’.”
It is not entirely clear where Dembele’s love for Leeds has come from – although Marcelo Bielsa’s side have won plaudits for their all-action attacking displays.
Leeds goalkeeper Meslier, 21, is part of France’s squad for the ongoing U21 Euros.
Dembele, 23, is part of the senior squad and it is likely the two met up to exchange shirts during a training camp last week.
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And the Barcelona forward is not the only superstar who has a soft spot for the West Yorkshire side.
Erling Haaland is a huge Leeds fan and admitted in 2017 that his dream was to win the Premier League with the club.
His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, played for Leeds between 1997 and 2000.
Bamford has joked he would ‘relish the competition’ if they pulled off a shock deal for the Borussia Dortmund star.
While it seems unlikely Haaland would join Leeds at this stage in his flourishing career, he remains a fond fan – just like Dembele.
The feeling will not be mutual, though, if the France international joins rivals Manchester United, a team he continues to be linked with.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
