Liverpool linked Ousmane Dembele has been likened to Eden Hazard by former Ligue 1 ace Mathieu Bodmer, who tells Goal that he thought of the Barcelona winger as a future Ballon D’Or winner when he was just 11 years old.
Two of the most expensive and exciting forwards in the game have endured a season to forget in La Liga.
It would be a little much to suggest that Hazard’s dream move to Real Madrid has turned into a nightmare but, amid concerns over his fitness, his form and his fondness for pastries, the former Chelsea talisman has come under the microscope for all the wrong reasons at times.
It could be worse, though. Just ask Dembele.
Three years ago, the World Cup winning Frenchman moved to the Camp Nou as a £97 million replacement for Neymar after dazzling everyone in Germany with some truly scintillating displays for Borussia Dortmund.
But after another season ruined by injuries at Barcelona, Dembele has been linked with a shock loan move to Liverpool.
BleacherReport in May were just one of many publications who have suggested a short-term spell at Anfield could be on the cards.
And, according to Bodmer, Dembele could still dominate the footballing landscape if he manages to put those niggling injuries behind him.
“He doesn’t have much luck,” Bodmer says of a player who rose through the ranks at his hometown club of Evreux FC. “But Ousmane, when I saw him at 11-12, I said ‘he’s going to be in the Ballon d’Or ranking if he doesn’t screw up.’
“I saw Eden Hazard in Lille at 15-16 years old. It was the same.
“Ousmane is a good kid bothered by injuries. He’s already a world champion and I hope that in Barcelona he will regain his physical capacities. When he’s fit, he is unplayable.”
Jurgen Klopp admitted to Sky recently that Liverpool will not be making any big-money signings this summer, explaining why the Premier League leaders have not firmed up their interest in Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.
But if Barca are willing to let Dembele leave on loan, Liverpool could snap up a forward with world-class potential for next to nothing.
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