Santos President Reveals Starlet Will Not Join Barcelona Until Neymar Transfer Dispute is Resolved
Barcelona have made Santos forward Rodrygo one of their top transfer targets this summer, but disagreements stemming from Neymar's 2013 switch to the Catalan club are proving a stumbling block.
Santos president Bruno Peres has stated there's no chance there'll be a repeat of what happened five years ago, where the Brazilian club sold their best player to Barcelona in a deal which UEFA are still investigating.
It's understood that Santos feel they are still owed money from the transfer, and President Peres appears unwilling to do business with the club until the issue is resolved.
Peres, speaking to Globo Esporte, said: "We have a lawsuit open against them regarding Neymar. Four months before the Club World Cup in 2011, Barcelona paid an advance on the transaction and we feel that there was grooming going on. We are demanding €14.5m from them. When they pay us, we will talk about other things."
Rodrygo has caught the eye of multiple European clubs, with Barca's rivals Real Madrid also reportedly in the mix. The young Brazilian made headlines recently with a nine minute hat-trick against Vitoria, leading to the inevitable comparisons with Neymar.
Peres is well aware of Rodrygo's potential - and therefore his value - having seen fellow Brasilerao club Flamengo sell young star Vinicius Junior to Real Madrid for €45m.
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"Rodrygo is today's star. He's an extremely talented player, everyone knows that. We have a precedent [for his price] in Vinicius Junior, who was sold when he was 17", the president said.
It looks as if the two Spanish giants could well be battling it out for yet another young talent this summer, but if Barca can't resolve their issues with Santos, Real Madrid must feel they're in the driver's seat to acquire Rodrygo, who looks like he's going to be a special player.
