Barcelona not re-signing Neymar “has been a good thing”, claims Joan Laporta, with the Blaugrana president admitting that bringing the Brazilian back to Camp Nou “wouldn’t have helped”.
Laporta revealed to Esport3 in September that a former favourite in Catalunya had expressed a desire to retrace his steps from Paris Saint-Germain once a presidential change had been made by the Liga giants.
No deal was to be done, though, and Neymar has gone on to sign a lucrative contract extension at Parc des Princes – where he has been reunited with former Barca team-mate Lionel Messi.
While Barca were disappointed not to land Neymar at the time, as cracks started to form in their long-term plans, Laporta concedes that missing out was best for all concerned.
He told RAC1:
“As the numbers were explained to us, we thought there was room to do it. We didn’t have our due diligence done.
“They told us that he wanted to come, and that he couldn’t continue there, having convinced the club [to let him leave].
“But it’s football and whoever makes the best offer wins. Not signing him has been a good thing, it wouldn’t have helped.
“Neymar could have generated a lot of income, but not signing him has been a good thing.”
