Barcelona — French wonderkid Ousmane Dembele shrugged off comparisons with Neymar and insisted he still had much to learn, despite becoming the second-most expensive player in history, as he was presented to Barcelona on Monday. The 20-year-old’s €105m transfer from Borussia Dortmund could rise to €145m with add-ons, depending on his performance, as Barca splashed out to fill the gap left by Neymar’s own world record €222m move to Paris Saint-Germain. "I’m not here to replace Neymar," said the Frenchman. "I will try to make good progress. I am only 20-years-old and have a lot to learn. That’s why I came to this big club." Dembele will form a fearsome forward line alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as Barca aim to wrestle the Champions League and La Liga titles back from rivals Real Madrid. And Dembele expects to learn firsthand from Messi, whom he described as the best player in history. "It’s an honour to be a part of Lionel Messi’s team," added Dembele. "He’s a great player, t...

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