Liverpool have been hit with a huge setback in their pursuit of highly rated Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.

The 21-year-old has endured a frustrating season since the Catalan side bought him from Borussia Dortmund for £135.5million last summer.

Dembele’s first season at the Nou Camp saw him dogged by injury but this reportedly hasn’t put Jurgen Klopp off from going after him.

It was widely reported that Jurgen Klopp was so keen on the France international; he was willing to meet with the player’s mother to try and secure Dembele a move to Anfield.

However, Barca president Josep Bartomeu dismissed the notion that Dembele could be on his way out of the club.

On a trip to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, Bartomeu said: “(Philippe) Coutinho, Dembele are for us a big investment.

“They are very important players and we expect a lot from them.

“Coutinho probably in the last four months has been very active for the team.

“But Dembele is a very young player, a very talented player that we are, of course, expecting a lot from.

“He’s been demonstrating during the season that he’s a good young player for us.

“But, of course, next season will be different.

“It’s not easy to play in Barcelona the first year because the model of football is quite different from the rest.

“But after one year I’m sure we are going to see Dembele and Coutinho at a very high level.”