Barcelona club president Josep Bartomeu has once again ruled out the possibility of exploring a transfer deal for Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar this summer.
The club sought to bring back Neymar last summer but was unsuccessful in its attempt. Bartomeu has alluded to in recent interviews of his aspiration to not once again make a move for the forward. And in an exclusive interview with the Spanish-based outlet Sport, he completely ruled out the possibility of the club signing the Brazilian superstar this year.
“PSG don’t want to sell either, which makes sense as he’s one of the best players in the world,” Bartomeu said. “Last summer we tried really hard but this summer we won’t even try. The club lost €200m between March and June.”
Financial hardships from the recent shutdown in play due to the coronavirus pandemic have become rampant across Europe. Many teams have decided to become more conservative with their transfer plans for the current summer window. Thus, many teams may be forced to explore other options if they wish to pull off a blockbuster transfer deal for an elite talent. Player swap agreements are one solution to this matter, and Bartomeu explained why these deals may become a preferable option for clubs when they are putting together an offer for a high-priced player.
“There will be more swap deals,” Bartomeu said. “All the big European clubs have been impacted by this [coronavirus pandemic] and we are all working to adapt. This won’t be for just one year, it could be for up to 3-4 years.”
If swap deals do become the norm soon, PSG may have to get creative if it wishes to acquire another top-class talent.
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