Although the Barcelona presidential elections are a year away, with summer 2021 being designated as the time when Josep Maria Bartomeu will formally leave office, one candidate for his position has an unequivocal stance on the Neymar situation.
Toni Freixa, who was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2015 elections, the last time Barcelona’s members could vote in a new president, believes that re-signing the Brazilian would be a mistake.
“Neymar needs Barca more than Barca needs Neymar,” Freixa told Sport in an exclusive interview.
“Therefore, I would not sign him. The club must be valued above any player.”
Given the potential outlay required to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou – the Daily Mail suggest this would be in the region of €175m – it would be a huge risk for the Catalans in the current financial climate.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit every club hard, and Barcelona have been no exception.
It’s expected that loan or swap deals may make up the bulk of moves in the upcoming summer transfer window, so it could be said to be incredibly poor business from the Catalans if they were to make the Brazilian their record signing at this point.
Freixa clearly isn’t a fan either.