Borussia Dortmund refuse to negotiate with Barcelona over Ousmane Dembele

Borussia Dortmund insist they will not negotiate with Barcelona over a price for Ousmane Dembele.

Dortmund suspended Dembele indefinitely on August 10 when the 20-year-old boycotted training in protest after the German club rejected an initial bid from Barca.

The Spanish giants want to sign Dembele to replace Neymar, who left for Paris Saint-Germain for a record £200m.

However, Dembele has a Dortmund contract until 2021 and reports claim the Germans want €130m (£119m) for the player, who signed from Rennes for €15m (£13.7m) last year.

"We are prepared to sell him and what we want is on the table," confirmed Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, putting the ball firmly in Barcelona's court.

"When it's not met, Dembele will stay with us. We will not negotiate."

Last week, no sooner had Barcelona's general manager Pep Segura said they were "close" to a deal with Dembele than Watzke said, "things had not moved forward one millimetre".

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Dembele has already quit his accommodation in Dortmund and moved back to France.

He was banned when Dortmund eased to a 3-0 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday in the opening Bundesliga match of the new season.

Christian Pulisic, Dembele's replacement on the right wing, scored and set up a goal in a superb display.

Watzke says Barcelona have until August 31, when the transfer window closes, to raise their offer.

The ongoing saga has seen Watzke join calls for the transfer window to close on August 1, rather than at the end of the month.

"In the summer, the fans look forward to the season and when it starts, it should be about football, not this theatre," he grumbled.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agrees.

"UEFA (European football's governing body) is already for it. The window should be closed when the leagues start, otherwise it's a bit strange," he said.

Germany's head coach Joachim Loew says Dortmund are taking the correct stance over Dembele.

"I simply condemn it when a player who has a contract goes on strike and says that he wants to change clubs," said Germany's World Cup-winning coach.

"It is absurd when contracts are no longer worth anything. Dortmund's stance is absolutely right."