Xavi feels betrayed as Barcelona star disappoints him with huge decision: Reports
According to SPORT, Xavi feels betrayed by Ousmane Dembele's decision to leave Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer transfer window. The Parisians are set to acquire the French attacker in a sensational €50 million swoop.
The speedster joined the Catalan club from Bosrussia Dortmund back in 2017 as Neymar's replacement and has since scored 40 goals and provided 43 assists in 185 matches for the Catalan club.
However, at one point in time, Dembele's future at Barca looked bleak due to his persistent injury issues. Xavi's appointment midway through the 2021-22 season changed the situation as the Spaniard showed his trust on the player.
The result also showed on the pitch as Dembele proved his doubters wrong by being a force to reckon with for Barcelona during the 2022-23 season. Despite staying out for a considerable while due to an injury, the Frenchman scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 35 matches across competitions.
However, Dembele has decided to join PSG, and according to the aforementioned report from SPORT, Xavi feels betrayed as despite giving his backing to the player, he has decided to leave the club.
Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong spoke ahead of the clash against AC Milan
Amidst the Ousmane Dembele saga, Barcelona's preparation for the forthcoming season continues as the Blaugrana are set to take on AC Milan in their next pre-season game in the United States.
Frenkie de Jong was a key part of the team that defeated Real Madrid in their previous game by a score of 3-0. The Dutchman recently looked ahead at the game in an interview (via Barca Universal):
“People are very happy to see us here and we are very happy to be back with them. Last year we played a spectacular game in Las Vegas. I hope it will be the same tomorrow."
He added:
“We have trained very hard this pre-season and we are ready for the game against Milan, who are a great team. They reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last year.”
De Jong is one of Barca's finest technical players and is a pillar in the midfield for Xavi's team. Fans will hope that the Dutchman can bond with Ilkay Gundogan and help the team next season.