Barca chief raises eyebrows after wild Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe claim

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that Ousmane Dembele is better than Paris Saint-German star Kylian Mbappe - and it has not gone down well with fans.

Barca are desperately trying to get Dembele to sign a new contract, with the winger's current deal set to expire in the summer.

As things stand, the 24-year-old can open negotiations with other clubs in January, but Barcelona are keen to tie him down for new manager Xavi.

Dembele joined Barca in a £135.5million deal from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017 and his time with the Spanish giants has been hindered by persistent injuries.

The France international, who recently returned from another long-term injury, has contributed 30 goals and 21 assists in 121 appearances for the club so far.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Dembele's agent Moussa Sissoko met with Barcelona sporting director Mateu Alemany on Thursday to discuss a new deal, but nothing has been agreed yet.

Dembele reportedly wants to stay at Barca, but has been linked with other clubs - and it is amid this context that Laporta's eye-catching comments must be viewed.

"We have a very good relationship with Dembele and he wants to stay," he told Tv3, according to Marca.

"We also want him because he is a great player. These are situations that need a negotiation with the representatives who want the best for the player.

"I am enthusiastic about Dembele - he is better than Mbappe."

Supporters reacted to the quotes with a mixture of bemusement and cynicism, with many seeing through Laporta's motivations.

The Barca chief is clearly trying to convince Dembele to sign a new deal, while also perhaps making a dig at rivals Real Madrid, who are reportedly in pole position to sign Mbappe from PSG when his contract expires in the summer.

HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of Joan Laporta's claim? Comment below.

"Did he say this with a straight face?" one fan wrote on Twitter.

"Better than who? Man's lost his head," added another.

"New levels of delusion everyday," said one supporter.

"Okay so Laporta has lost his mind," wrote another.

"Mbappe has more goals at Camp Nou in 2021 than Dembele while just playing one game there," pointed out a Barca fan.

"He is using Mbappe's name to make Dembele sign a contract that won't pay him well. Smh," said one fan.

"All this lying for Dembele to not even sign the new contract," concluded one pessimistic fan.

Barcelona made a loss of £404m (€481m) in the last financial year and have debts and future liabilities totalling £1.14bn (€1.35bn).

Many fans are therefore unconvinced that they will be able to splash the cash in the January transfer window to strengthen Xavi's squad.

The Catalan club have been linked with Manchester pair Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres, as well as Chelsea 's Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner in recent weeks.

Barcelona are looking to be active in the New Year, but have to work inside the financial parameters, meaning exits may be required to fund transfers.

"Xavi has asked us to reinforce the squad and we are going to try to do so, but at the moment we have no salary margin to do it," Laporta explained.

"Therefore, at this moment, we cannot but we must let the sports management work."