Neymar's €222 million transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 sent shockwaves through Europe. 

Not only was his fee outrageous, but the Brazilian left a gaping hole in Barca's squad with just a few weeks of the summer transfer window left.

The La Liga side needed a world-class replacement - and quick. So less than a week before the window shut, Ousmane Dembele's move from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed. 

The young Frenchman had just completed a season in the Bundesliga and was being touted as one of Europe's 'golden boys' but very few would have foreseen his €105 million transfer.

The fee, including €40 million in add-ons, made Dembele the joint-second most expensive footballer in history. 

He's now currently playing his second season at the Camp Nou - but things haven't quite worked out as he would have liked.

The 21-year-old has been sidelined with a couple of serious injuries that have seen him miss months of football. 

During his first campaign with the Blaugrana, Dembele featured just 23 times, scoring four goals. 

This season has been much better though as the forward has already made 36 appearances and scored 14 times.  

Despite early troubles and a few injury problems, Barca president Josep Bartomeu believes that Dembele is already better than Neymar, the man he replaced almost two years ago. 

"Dembele's level is better now than Neymar's, he's a much better player than Neymar and he's already adapted," Bartomeu said during an interview with TVE Catalunya, per Mundo Deportivo

That's a pretty bold statement to make. And it's one that stats don't exactly back up. 

Dembele has made 36 appearances for Barca and he's scored 14 times. Neymar, in his 23 games for PSG this season, has scored 20 times - despite being injured since late January. 

The Brazilian also assisted 11 times, whereas his Barca replacement has only managed eight so far this campaign. 

Bartomeu's suggestion that Dembele is playing better now than Neymar could well cause a stir because the stats from this season actually suggest the opposite. 

Perhaps he's still a little hurt that Neymar decided to swap Spain for France two years ago.