August 3 – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu (pictured) says the club will not be splashing out on re-signing Neymar this summer, putting an end once and for all to rumours of his return.
Bartomeu says the economic climate makes it “unfeasible” for the Brazilian to move back to Catalonia from Paris St-Germain.
Barca had apparently been hoping to strike a part-exchange deal for Neymar that would see Antoine Griezmann join Paris Saint-Germain but Bartomeu says the current situation “doesn’t invite large investments”.
“Neymar? In this situation, it’s unfeasible. Nor does PSG want to sell him,” he was quoted as saying, an indication of just how hard it is for even the richest clubs in the world to spend big right now, Barca themselves having lost €200 million between March and June.
Bartomeu told Spanish newspaper Sport: “All the big European clubs are affected. This isn’t going to last a year, but three or four.”
“In the 2020-21 season we expected to post €1.1 billion, but we’ll have 30% of that.
“If the situation of the pandemic doesn’t improve, there will be no spectators, no museum, no stores open, and money will continue to be lost.
“It forces us to be very rigorous in management: we must review which investments are essential and which can wait.”
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