Top Brazilian agent Andre Cury has opened up on some behind-the-scenes chaos of several transfer stories at Barcelona and this include the potential signing of Vinicius Jr.
Cury was closely associated with Barcelona for years and in a new interview with AS he spiked about the Catalonia failed attempt to land Vinicius Jr, and the stunning reality behind Neymar’s choice to join Barça over Real Madrid—despite a staggering €100 million difference in offers.
He began by describing the bureaucratic nightmare Barcelona faced while trying to sell Roque, blaming La Liga’s financial fair play and the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) for complicating the move.
According to him, despite a deal that would bring Barcelona €30 million in value, both La Liga and the RFEF obstructed the transaction, forcing the parties to seek FIFA intervention.
“You want to sell a player, and La Liga says you can’t. You want to buy, and RFEF says no. It doesn’t make sense,” Cury explained.
“From Brazil, we had to hire a lawyer in Madrid and go to FIFA to get clearance.”
Cury went on to disclose how Vinicius Jr. was on the verge of signing with Barcelona before Real Madrid swooped in.
“We met with Vinicius and his agents because they asked us to. Everything was ready for a Barça move,” Cury stated.
“But in the end, his family and agents changed their minds. It was all very unclear, but respectful. That’s how football is.”
Cury also dropped an absolute bombshell regarding Neymar’s transfer from Santos in 2013. He revealed that Real Madrid offered over €200 million in total to land Neymar—€100 million more than what Barcelona paid.
Neymar reacts in the second half against Real Madrid during their International Champions Cup 2017 match at Hard Rock Stadium on July 29, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“Madrid offered €100M more than Barça, including salary, transfer fees, and a €40M penalty clause,” Cury revealed.
“If I had been working for Madrid, maybe Neymar would have gone there. But I was with Barça.
“The payments weren’t annual, they were more in the form of bonuses. They offered him a lot of money, but Neymar came to Barcelona to fulfil his dream. That’s how football works,” remembered the agent.
