Xavi: 'Dembele left a bitter taste in my mouth'
"I will say it very clearly," Xavi replied about rumors Dembele asked to go to PSG. "Dembele told me he wanted to leave. He got an offer from PSG and we couldn't do anything else. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, because we took care to make it so. he's happy. Yes, I'm a bit disappointed."
According to Barca coach, Dembele refused to answer when asked why he wanted to leave Barca, and he said it could be a personal reason. However, Xavi insisted that he did not hold back, respecting Dembele's decision because he did not want to keep people who did not want to stay. "The important thing is that Dembele made it clear. I wish him luck," added Xavi.
In terms of quality, Xavi admits Barca will be weakened when losing the French right-winger. However, he anticipated this and prepared an alternative. He can alternate using Raphinha, Ferran Torres and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, or buy a new player.
In 2017, Dembele joined Barca from Dortmund. Barca had to pay $ 115 million, but it was not compensated commensurately. Due to frequent injuries during the first three years, Dembele became one of the most disappointing signings in the club's history. He only played better when Xavi returned to lead the club from November 2021, contributing significantly to the La Liga championship and the 2022-2023 Spanish Super Cup.
After August 1, Dembele's contract release fee increased from 55 million to 110 million USD. PSG may have to negotiate with Barca to reduce the fee to $ 75 million to $ 80 million. However, the French team can also buy outright like the $263 million deal to bring Neymar out of Barca in 2017.
The new coach of PSG, Luis Enrique is a former player and coach of Barca. During his time in charge from 2014 to 2017, he helped Barca win two La Ligas, three King's Cups, a Champions League and a treble. He also brought Spain to the semi-finals of Euro 2021 and the round of 16 of the World Cup 2022.
On July 5, Enrique signed a two-year contract with PSG. The two closest PSG coaches, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier, had to leave after just over a year, despite winning Ligue 1.
