Dortmund's Dembele curiously absent from training amid Barcelona rumours

Ousmane Dembele's budding Borussia Dortmund career appears to be at a crossroads after manager Peter Bosz conceded Thursday that the French winger was not in training.

Further, the 20-year-old could not be reached by the club, adding fuel to the fire of reports suggesting that Barcelona is targeting the player as a Neymar replacement.

Bosz spoke to reporters after training in advance of the club's Aug. 19 Bundesliga opener at Wolfsburg, with the former Ajax gaffer admitting, "There was no sign yesterday that Ousmane Dembele would not be here today.

"We hope nothing terrible has happened," Bosz added.

Bosz's comments come days after club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said that not even a €100-million bid for Dembele would do, sparking rumours that the Catalans had submitted a formal offer for the player.

Reports Wednesday suggested that Dortmund was standing firm in its unwillingness to sell Dembele, telling Barcelona that no less than a €150-million bid would do, though the winger's absence Thursday will do little to mitigate talk of a blockbuster summer move.

Should Dortmund decide to sell Dembele, the club will make a massive profit after securing his services a summer ago from Rennes for a modest €15 million, even if reports that the Bretons are set to pocket €30 million for a sell-on clause have any truth to them.