Cury: 'PSG would sell Neymar to Barça, he still has six years at the top'

Andre Cury welcomed SPORT at his office in Sao Paulo for a frank and honest conversation about his time working for Barcelona between 2010 and 2020.

Cury was the club's go-to man in South America, working as a scout but also as an executor when it came to negotiating with clubs, especially in Brazil.

Neymar's name is back on the table. Would you?

What I would do is divide the cost over five years. Then each year you look for €Xm to cover the costs. In sponsors, commercial deals, shirts sales, tickets... Since Neymar left, shirt sales fell almost 30 percent, tickets 20 percent. Without the pandemic and with Neymar, you have 20,000 more people in the stadium for every game.

You see it as a strategic operation?

With Neymar and Messi, whoever was going to pay €300m in naming rights (for the stadium) would pay €450m. Neymar still has five or six years at the top level. I am sure Messi would stay to relive magic moments together. After that, Leo, logically due to his age, is going to leave, you're left with Neymar until you find a third way.

You think PSG would sell this summer?

I think so. Any club in the world with a player not willing to renew has to sell. And if they were willing in 2019, why not now? He had three years on his deal then, now only one, so the numbers are different.

Can Barça do the deal financially though?

I hope that Laporta, who is a great president for Barcelona, has the same idea and signs him.

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