No player is bigger than Barca, Bartomeu says on Neymar transfer

Days after Brazilian forward, Neymar, moved to PSG, Barcelona chief, Josep Maria Bartomeu, is confident that the club will recover, as no player is bigger than the club.

Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain last week for a world record fee of £200 million, after the La Liga side permitted him to leave.

Bartomeu said the club didn’t want Neymar to make the move but the forward made his decision and was allowed to move on.

Speaking at the World Congress of Penyes, Bartomeu said: “He wanted to leave. We didn’t agree with that decision but no player is bigger than Barca.”

The football chief also said the money received by the club courtesy of the transfer will be spent well to fill inthe gap already created.

He said: “The 222 million euros that we received for Neymar Jr will be administered with prudence, rigour and serenity.”

Read Also: My PSG move not motivated by money -Neymar

The departure of the 25-year old, who scored 105 goals in four seasons at Barca, breaks up the attacking trident he formed with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the Nou Camp.

Neymar’s deal smashes the previous record set when Paul Pogba joined Manchester United from Juventus for £89m in August 2016.

But while speaking at his unveiling at Parc des Princes, Neymar said he moved to France for a “bigger challenge”, and was never motivated by money.

“What I say to these people is they don’t know anything about my personal life. I was never motivated by money,” he said.

“If I was following the money, I would be somewhere else, with other clubs in other countries. I’m really sad that people still think that way and I’m glad that PSG believe in me.”

The Brazilian has been handed the No. 10 shirt and will now have the platform to prove himself as the best player on the planet.

 

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