Sources close to the 29-year-old told L'Équipe that the forward is acutely aware of what the next two months mean for his individual standing. A Champions League winner's medal at the Puskás Aréna, followed by a deep run with France at the World Cup, would make him almost impossible to overlook when the 2026 Ballon d'Or vote is counted.
"Naturally, he thinks about it," one person in his circle told the French publication.
"When you tell yourself that you're in a final and that there's the World Cup afterwards, you reflect on it. Ousmane has a new mentality since last year. He wants to score goals, he has become even more conscientious.
"And he has measured how much individual recognition impacts popularity, with enormous reach. He knows it depends on the World Cup and winning the Champions League final. But he wants it."
Within PSG, the assessment is that only the title and a strong tournament can convert the desire into reality.
"Today Dembélé is one of the favourites because in big matches he has been decisive, present, scoring goals that gave us the win," an internal club source said. "He has reached maturity. He has confidence. He has become a leader who does not need to say that he is a leader."
The same source was careful to add that the race is not won.
"That will depend on whether we win the Champions League, and whether he has a great World Cup. Without a World Cup, Kvaratskhelia could also have made a beautiful candidate" — a reference to PSG's Georgian forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose country did not qualify for the tournament.
On the commercial side, Dembélé's profile has risen sharply since the Ballon d'Or ceremony. His camp has fielded thousands of requests from brands and sponsors. Several lucrative offers — including from a major luxury house and a number of sports betting operators — have been declined.
He is understood to be selective by design, prioritising quality over volume, in keeping with a public image he has carefully constructed since becoming an ambassador for perfume house Henry Jacques.
PSG beat Arsenal across both legs of last season's Champions League semi-final. They return to face the Premier League champions again at the final stage, chasing back-to-back European titles and giving Dembélé another defining stage on which to make his case.