{"id":1084489,"date":"2019-04-16T17:18:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T16:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1084489"},"modified":"2019-04-16T17:18:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T16:18:20","slug":"dembele-better-than-neymar-barcelona-president","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/dembele-better-than-neymar-barcelona-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Dembele is “much better” than Neymar, claims Barcelona president"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barcelona forward\u00a0Ousmane Dembele is a considerably better footballer than the world’s most expensive player, Neymar, says club president\u00a0Josep Maria Bartomeu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The former Catalonian star joined\u00a0Paris Saint-Germain for \u00a3191m in 2017, while his successor relocated from Borussia Dortmund for \u00a390.7m during the same window.<\/p>\n

Dembele or Neymar? Five key things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. During his time at the Camp Nou, Neymar scored 105 goals and registered 76 assists in 186 matches.<\/li>\n
  2. The Brazilian superstar won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and one Champions League trophy during his four-year stint.<\/li>\n
  3. Dembele meanwhile has bagged 18 goals and 16 assists in 59 matches.<\/li>\n
  4. That means Neymar directly contributed to a goal nearly every match (0.97 per game) while Dembele currently contributes at a rate of 0.58 per game.<\/li>\n
  5. Despite this Bartomeu remains adamant Dembele is “much better” than Neymar.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7234057-i-can-t-think-of-any-potential-arsenal-signings-that-make-more-sense<\/p>\n

    Since pitching up at\u00a0Le Parc des Princes, Neymar has secured a myriad of domestic titles but has also been consistently linked with a move back to La Liga.<\/p>\n

    Real Madrid have long-been associated with the twinkle-toed\u00a0Paulistano’s name, while Barca have also been mooted to make a move to bring the Brazilian back to Catalonia.<\/p>\n

    However, Bartomeu says no such transfer will take place as the club are currently embarking on a “sporting project”, with Dembele and Philippe Coutinho at the forefront of their enterprise.<\/p>\n

    “It’s not possible for Neymar to come to Barcelona as we have another sporting project with Dembele and [Philippe] Coutinho,” Bartomeu told TVE ahead of Barca’s Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Man Utd.<\/p>\n

    “We are happy with what we have, as Dembele is better than Neymar and he is a good professional player.<\/p>\n

    “He is a young guy who arrived at a huge club and that’s not easy, but he has adapted and he is much better than Neymar.”<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Imww_za6yZI<\/p>\n

    Subscribe to Squawka\u2019s Youtube channel here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    ‘Coutinho can go if clubs meet his release clause’<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The future of Coutinho has been a question of debate this season with the diminutive Brazilian struggling to replicate his Anfield form since signing from Liverpool in January 2018.<\/p>\n

    As such he has been linked with a move back to the Premier League, but Bartomeu has stressed that any such scenario would only come to fruition if clubs meet his bumper release clause – believed to be in the region of \u00a3355m.<\/p>\n

    He said: “Coutinho\u00a0is an excellent player and he has the coach’s confidence.<\/p>\n

    “He has contract with us and he will remain at the team, unless they meet his release clause.”<\/p>\n