Paris Saint-Germain are continuing to work on the fitness of Ousmane Dembele ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal, despite growing confidence in Paris that the Ballon d’Or winner will recover in time for the showdown in Budapest.
Dembele was forced off after just 27 minutes during PSG’s surprise 2-1 defeat to Paris FC in their final Ligue 1 game of the season on Sunday, immediately raising fears over his availability for the final on May 30.
Initial comments from Luis Enrique suggested the issue was merely fatigue, but PSG’s official medical update later confirmed the forward was dealing with discomfort in his right calf.
The French champions described his substitution as precautionary and revealed he would remain under treatment for the next few days.
While PSG are publicly attempting to calm fears around the injury, there is still uncertainty surrounding Dembele’s condition given his history of muscular problems this season.
The 29-year-old has already suffered multiple calf injuries during the current campaign and has also dealt with hamstring issues that disrupted the early months of his season.
Those repeated setbacks have limited Dembele’s involvement domestically despite another outstanding year individually.
He started only 11 Ligue 1 matches across the campaign as PSG carefully managed his workload, although he still contributed heavily with goals and assists whenever available.
PSG’s medical staff are now expected to carefully monitor his recovery over the next two weeks, with the club determined not to take unnecessary risks before the biggest game of their season.
From an Arsenal perspective, the situation remains one to watch closely.
Dembele has already proven decisive against the Gunners once before in last season’s European campaign.
The France international scored inside four minutes during PSG’s semi-final first leg victory in North London before also helping create the goal that effectively settled the tie in Paris.
His absence earlier in the competition during PSG’s league phase defeat at the Emirates Stadium was also noticeable, with Luis Enrique’s side lacking their usual attacking edge that night.
That contrast has only underlined how important Dembele is to PSG’s system.
France are also monitoring developments closely ahead of this summer’s World Cup, where Dembele is expected to play a major role for France.
For now, optimism remains high in Paris that the winger will recover in time for the final.
But with calf injuries already causing him repeated problems this season, Arsenal will know there is still uncertainty hanging over one of PSG’s most dangerous players less than two weeks before the Champions League final.