Barcelona confirm Ousmane Dembélé will be out for six months

Barcelona have announced that Ousmane Dembélé will be out for six months after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury. 

Dembélé completed the medical procedure for "a ruptured tendon in his proximal hamstring in his right thigh" in Finland,  according to the club's official website.

“The first team player Ousmane Dembéle has successfully undergone surgery in Turku, Finland where he was operated on by Dr. Lasse Lempainen for a ruptured tendon in his proximal hamstring in his right thigh. The Frenchman will be out for around 6 months,‘read the statement.

“The striker was continuing his recovery from the hamstring injury when he was forced to retire from a training session at the Ciutat Esportiva last week. Subsequent tests confirmed a complete rupture to the tendon in the proximal hamstring of his right leg.”

?? MEDICAL UPDATE | @Dembouz undergoes successful hamstring surgery; French striker to be out 6 months — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 11, 2020

The injury means he will miss the remainder of the season along with the summer’s Euro 2020 Championships.

Dembele's injury has left Barca with only three natural forwards in talisman Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and 17-year-old Ansu Fati as Luis Suarez is out until May after undergoing knee surgery.

Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) rules dictate that if a player is injured for at least five months then their club can sign a replacement outside a transfer window, as long as they are based in Spain's top two divisions or a free agent.

The injured player is not allowed to play again for the team before the five-month period has elapsed and must agree to the arrival of the new player.

Dembélé moved to Camp Nou from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 but a series of injuries have so far restricted the 22-year-old to just 74 appearances in all competitions for the club.