Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu admits that his club did not want to lose Neymar, but says the club is far bigger than one player. The Brazilian joined Paris Saint Germain in a sensational £198m transfer last week.
But the Barca supremo says Barca will quietly work to replace him and that they have few worries over the quality available to them even in light of Neymar’s departure. “We are Barça, a beloved club around the world. But first we want to close a chapter from the past.
“Neymar was part of our club, but today it is history. It is his decision, even though we have done everything in our power to change it. We respect his decision, although we do not agree. Everything has a limit, and no player can be above Barca.
“We are a club with 118 years of history, with great players, with more than 140 thousand members. It is ours, the partners and not belonging to a sheik or an oligarch. We predicted that Neymar could leave and so we raised his clause and now we are working to find replacements.”
Bartomeu went on to hold Iniesta and Messi up as symbols of the Catalan club, “The loyalty and commitment of Lionel Messi must be an example- and also Andrés Iniesta.”
