Barcelona president Joan Laporta has made a rather outlandish claim stating that injury-prone forward Ousmane Dembele is a better player than Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking in an interview with TV3, as relayed by MARCA, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that Ousmane Dembele is a much better footballer than his compatriot and Paris Saint-Germain superstar, Kylian Mbappe.
Dembele joined Barcelona in the summer of 2017, with the club shelling out close to €130 million, including bonuses, to sign him as a replacement for Neymar, who had left for Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Dembele has endured a torrid spell at Camp Nou, as he has been out on the treatment tables for most of his stint with the Catalan giants. Indeed, the 24-year-old FIFA World Cup winner has managed just 121 appearances in over four seasons at the club, managing a paltry return of 30 goals and 21 assists.
The French international is yet to start a single game in the ongoing campaign but has dominated the tabloids headlines due to his contract situation. Dembele’s current deal with Barcelona runs out at the end of the ongoing season, and talks over an extension have not gone according to plans.
While Barcelona remain intent on tying him down to a new contract, Dembele is fielding bumper offers from clubs across Europe, with the likes of Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain among those interested. With the speculations mounting, Barcelona are doing their best to try and convince him to sign a new contract, with president Laporta even resorting to wooing him by hyping him up in the media.
Speaking of the Frenchman and his situation in a recent interview, Barca’s head honcho said: “We have a very good relationship with Dembélé and he wants to stay. We also want him because he is a great player. These are situations that need a negotiation with the representatives who want the best for the player. I am enthusiastic about Dembélé, he is better than Mbappe.”
Mbappe shot to fame around the same time as Dembele, earning a big move to PSG in 2017 after having spearheaded AS Monaco to a Ligue 1 title while in his teens. He has since gone on to scale greater heights, firmly establishing himself as one of the best forwards in the game currently, while Dembele has faltered and stumbled at Camp Nou, although injuries have hampered him.
So, comparing the two and going on to claim that Dembele is better than Mbappe does come out as a bit outlandish.
