BARCELONA
Xavi rejects chance to sign Neymar Jr. on loan as part of Dembélé deal
The Catalan giants had the chance of signing the Brazilian star as part of the PSG deal for Dembélé, but Xavi rejected that option.
It’s often said that anything can happen in soccer. And that seems to be a true statement. After a positive tour in the US, where Barcelona lost their first game to Arsenal but defeated Real Madrid and AC Milan, everything seemed to be on point to play the Joan Gamper tournament and start another LaLiga season after recording some positive results.
Ousmane Dembélé had been one of the best players in Xavi’s squad during the offseason with his dribbles and speed up front, scoring the first goal against archrivals Real Madrid at AT&T Stadium in a game that Els Blaugranes ended up winning 3-0.
The French international was seen as one of the best and most decisive players in the team alongside Robert Lewandowski and he was seen as a key piece for coach Xavi Hernández.
However, things took an unexpected turn and Paris Saint-Germain decided to try to land Dembou to replace the very likely departure of Kylian Mbappé.
Xavi says ‘no’ to Neymar Jr.
Barcelona signed Dembéle six years ago to replace the absence of Neymar, who left Barcelona for Paris. In one of soccer’s whims, Barcelona saw how a key player decided to leave Barça and how PSG tried to include Neymar Jr. as part of the €50m deal for Ousmane, offering Barcelona the chance to sign the 30-year-old on loan.
Despite the Brazilian’s quality, Xavi believes that adding him to the roster could translate into more problems than advantages, as the forward has suffered quite a few injuries over the last years and his wages would also have been a major issue for the club.
Xavi, alongside the Barcelona management, will now have to take care of some important cases, including bringing Vitor Roque this summer or waiting till next January, and trying to land two or three more signings to be able to fight for all the titles.