FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said on Saturday that Ousmane Dembélé’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain was a “great disappointment”, while being confident about the rest of the transfer window and the registration of his players. in La Liga.
Dembélé “is a boy who helped us, we gave him a lot of affection, a lot of importance. For me he was an important player,” Xavi said in a press conference ahead of La Liga opener against Getafe.
“It’s a big disappointment that he decided to leave when he was happy here. We bet on him. For me it’s a big disappointment on a personal level, ”insisted the Blaugrana coach about the French international, who has signed up with PSG for five seasons.
This transfer to 50.4 million euros – of which the club will only receive a part, the other going directly to the player – allows to relieve a little the coffers of Barça, bailed out in extremis Friday with the sale of nearly 30 % of its digital subsidiary Barca Vision for 120 million euros.
These maneuvers notably allowed the registration of the German Ilkay Gündogan and the Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo with LaLiga. But the Blaugrana are still far from having been able to register the entire first team, on the eve of their league debut at Getafe.
“The club is doing very well. We are optimistic,” assured Xavi, believing that the club is able to register most of its players. “We will wait until tomorrow. […] I am 90% sure that I can count on almost everyone, I can work to visualize the team that can start tomorrow, ”added the former midfielder.
Asked about the rumors agitating the Spanish media in recent days, especially around a potential return of Neymar, Xavi did not wish to comment on them.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t name names. There is a market until August 31, but I can’t say more,” he said of the Brazilian.
