Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed PSG stars Lionel Messi and Neymar have been “enslaved” by their contracts and would have to return on a free transfer if they ever hope to return to the club.
Rumours surfaced that Neymar who left Barcelona to join PSG in a world-record deal in 2017, could be available this summer but Laporta was quick to distance his club from making an offer, stating the club would not be able to afford him.
“Who doesn’t love Neymar? He is an exceptional player,” the Barca president told L’Esportiu de Catalunya.
“He has a contract with PSG, he has four or five years left. These players who have signed for clubs like PSG have almost signed their slavery. For money.”
When asked about Messi, Laporta added: “Messi has gone. We would all have liked him to end his sporting life here and for whatever reason he has not been able to.
“It could not be because of the fair play [rules] of the Spanish league and the proposal of PSG. These players, when they enter a dynamic like this find that they cannot leave because the operations are many millions of euros.
“You tell me, in the case of Neymar, I don’t know how they do it in France because maybe they have other systems that we don’t have here, but cancelling a system that is signed in advance costs a lot of money.
“It is also true that PSG have a state behind them, they have a lot of money and maybe they can make an advance payment to terminate such a contract.
“Should Neymar come for free? All these players [possibly] coming back to Barca one day should come for free. We are not in a position to make a purchase transaction which can cost a transfer [fee] for these players.
“But even if we had the funds, we wouldn’t do it. It would be irrational. If they are players who are free and are in the market, then they are of exceptional quality and we have already enjoyed them at Barca.
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“Then it would be a matter for the coach to think about whether or not they can fit into the new Barca project. As players, I like both of them [Messi and Neymar] very much.”
Laporta also weighed in on the Kylian Mbappe renewal saga where PSG had to make the Frenchman the highest paid player in football to convince him to stay instead of leaving to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
“This distorts the market,” Laporta said. “Players end up being kidnapped for money. These are the effects of a club having a state behind it. This goes against all the principles of the European Union.
“It is a reflection on the sustainability of football in Europe. Then there is the reading that can be done from Barca.
“There is a direct rival who does not come out stronger and we prefer that they cannot make us squirm when it comes to competing. But I’m left with the reflection on the sustainability of football.
“Because I don’t think we should care so much about a rival either. We have to worry about having a competitive team, which is what we are trying to do.
“It has been seen that when we have cared more about ourselves than our rivals, things have gone well.”
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