Barcelona admit defeat over Neymar and Lautaro Martinez transfers

Lautaro had been identified as a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez
AP
Richard Parry3 August 2020

Barcelona have admitted defeat in the attempts to sign Lautaro Martinez and Neymar this summer.

As previously reported by Standard Sport, the Inter Milan and PSG stars have been among Barcelona’s top targets for some time as they try to bolster their attacking options and secure a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez.

But the financial implications brought on by the coronavirus pandemic means that neither deal is deemed achievable by president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

“Barca have spoken to Inter about Lautaro over the last few weeks but the conversations have been put on hold by mutual consent. The current situation doesn't allow for major transfer fees,” he told Sport.

“In the current situation, no. PSG don't want to sell [Neymar] either, which makes sense as he's one of the best players in the world. Last summer we tried really hard to sign him but this summer we won't even try.

“The club lost €200 million (£180m) between March and June. If the situation doesn't improve, there won't be people in the stands, at the museum or the shops and we'll keep losing money. This will cause us to revise our spending plans and which ones can wait. We have to adapt.

“All the big European clubs have been impacted by this and we are all working to adapt. This won't be for just one year, it could be for up to three or four years.”

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