Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hoping to convince Ousmane Dembele to stay at Barcelona

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that he is attempting to convince close friend Ousmane Dembele to sign a new contract at Barcelona.

Dembele's deal with the Catalan giants is due to expire at the end of June, and he is widely expected to leave the club in search of pastures new.

The France international was strongly linked with a move away from Camp Nou in January, but the deadline passed with the attacker still at the club, and Aubameyang, who arrived from Arsenal in the final stages of the winter window, is determined to convince his new teammate to sign a new deal.

"It is something very special because we had an incredible year in [Borussia] Dortmund and he is an incredible player," Dembele told Mundo Deportivo.

"Ousmane is one of the best with the ball and, for a striker, he is incredible. To tell the truth, I am very happy that he is here and when I arrived I told him: 'You have to stay, man.'"

Both Aubameyang and Dembele started Barcelona's La Liga clash against Valencia on Sunday, with the former scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 success at Mestalla.