Xavi calls Dembélé's transfer to PSG 'deceitful'

France forward Ousmane Dembele joined Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday after Barcelona agreed to a transfer deal worth 50.4 million euros ($55.2 million) for the explosive winger.

Dembele's arrival at PSG on a five-year contract comes amid speculation that Neymar could be on his way out.

The Barcelo head coach, Xavi, felt Dembele's move to PSG was deceitful.

"I can talk about how I see him since I arrived here as coach. He’s been a good kid. He’s helped us. We gave him lots of love and tried to make him feel important in the team. To me, he was an important player. But I am very disappointed. Very disappointed. That he decided to leave when he had all the happiness here and we were all betting for him. It has been a big deception for me. I think that his project was here with us. But he chose to go elsewhere. I wish him luck. But in general, the whole thing has been deceitful,” Xavi said.

The 26-year-old joined Barcelona in 2017 on a then club-record transfer from Dortmund that with variables was set to reach 147 million euros (then $173 million.

After suffering serious injuries early in his stay at Barcelona, Dembele consolidated himself as one of its most irreplaceable players thanks to his speed and playmaking.

He renewed his contract last summer and was set to stay at the Spanish giants until the end of next season.

Dembele scored 62 goals in 185 appearances for Barca and helped the team win three Spanish leagues and two Copa del Rey titles.

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez commented on Ousmane Dembélé's transfer to PSG and called it 'deceitful'.

Xavi refused to be drawn on Neymar's potential return to the club ahead of the start of the La Liga season.

The Brazilian forward is set to leave PSG and reports suggest he is headed back to Spain for a second spell with the Catalan club.

Xavi refused to talk about potential transfers as he prepares the team for the start of their defence away to Getafe on Sunday.