Mission Neymar was not impossible: Barcelona

Barcelona, Sep 20 (IANS) The possibility of signing Neymar Jr. this summer would not have affected Barcelona’s bank, according to the vice president and treasurer of the board of directors Enrique Tombas. Tombas said during the presentation of the club’s balance for the 2018/19 financial year on Thursday that Neymar’s signing would have been economically viable, reports Efe news.

“It was affordable because of the different options we have offered to Paris Saint Germain (PSG),” Tombas said. “It was a possible deal.” Had the Parisian club accepted Barcelona’s offer, Tombas said, it would have led to the departure of certain players from the club. Barcelona’s CEO Oscar Grau said that the request for the Brazilian forward came at the request of Barcelona’s coach Ernesto Valverde.

Grau said: “We did everything we could to get Neymar to the club, but in an affordable way. All the alternatives we offered PSG rejected them.”

Grau added that the club has no current intentions, budget wise, to hire new players during the upcoming winter market, stressing that next year’s planning has not been carried out yet.

Neymar’s possible return to the La Liga club seemed to be imminent during the summer transfer market but never came to fruition.

–IANS
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