Barcelona advisor lashes out at Ousmane Dembele over PSG move

The advisor to Barcelona president Joan Laporta has criticised Ousmane Dembele for his summer exit to Paris Saint-Germain.

The France international completed a surprising return to his homeland in August when PSG triggered a £43m release clause in his contract, leaving Barca displeased after their negotiations over a new deal went fruitless.

Dembele's exit meant Barca failed to recoup most of the initial £96.8m they gave to Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for the young winger, who they had expected to keep for most of the summer transfer window.

Enric Masip, advisor and close aide to Blaugrana president Laporta, has now lashed out at Dembele, accusing him of being self-interested and frustratingly inconsistent.

He told SPORT: "I like good players, but I prefer committed players. He has already demonstrated his lack of commitment when he did not renew.

"I prefer a player who gives me a 7/10 or an 8/10 performance to one who gives me a 10/10 and two days later goes to another team to earn more.

"It's very easy to kiss the crest when you score a goal or sell smoke on social media. It's legitimate to want to earn more, but when you are committed you don't look at the money and you don't say one day one thing and another day another.

"I'd rather play a kid from La Masia or with Raphinha, who gives his all in every training session, than someone who gives you a performance of 9/10 and a 3/10 the next day."

Dembele helped Barca to three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey triumphs but his Camp Nou prospects were frequently harmed by recurring injuries. The 26-year-old himself has spoken about his excitement of moving back to France.

He said: "I spoke with the coach and the president, who explained the project to me. I spent seven years out of the country so I'm delighted to be back in France and at a big club like PSG.

"All is going well at PSG, there is a really good coach and the words of the president pleased me a lot. I'm hoping to do everything I can to have a really big season."

Dembele has played three matches for PSG since his summer move and also started for France in the 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland.

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