Josep Maria Bartomeu: 'Ousmane Dembele is better than Neymar'

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that Ousmane Dembele is "a much better player than Neymar".

Dembele was signed as Neymar's replacement when the latter left Camp Nou from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

Neymar has missed a chunk of this season with a foot injury, but the Brazil international is regarded as one of the best players in world football.

Bartomeu, though, has said that Dembele is the superior footballer, despite the Frenchman thus far failing to show a level of consistency in Spain.

"I explained that we have a project with Dembele and [Philippe] Coutinho with Neymar's money," Bartomeu told TVE. "Dembele's level is better now than Neymar's, he's a much better player than Neymar and he's already adapted."

Dembele has scored 18 times in 59 appearances for Barca in all competitions, while Neymar has struck 48 goals in 53 matches for PSG since his arrival in France.