Barcelona rules record signing Dembele out for 3-4 months

Ousmane Dembele's first La Liga start did not quite go to plan.

After limping off the pitch during Saturday's visit to Getafe, Dembele has been diagnosed with a hamstring injury, with Barcelona announcing Sunday that the Frenchman is "expected to be out for between three-and-a-half months and four months."

The Catalan side revealed the news with a statement on its website, adding that Dembele has a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring and will now undergo surgery in Finland.

Dembele, 20, was taken off in the 20th minute of the victory at Getafe after pulling up lame while chasing the ball.

A club-record €105-million summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, Dembele was lured to the Camp Nou as a replacement for Paris Saint-Germain recruit Neymar. The crafty winger made his Barcelona debut with a 22-minute run-out in a 5-0 drubbing of fellow Catalans Espanyol before making a maiden start in the Champions League against Juventus.

In Dembele's absence, manager Ernesto Valverde is likely to thrust Gerard Deulofeu into the starting XI to complete a front-three with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.