Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been at loggerheads ever since the Catalan side pursued Marco Verratti, and ended up losing Neymar Junior.
PSG activated his €222m release clause six years ago this summer, robbing Barcelona of their successor to Lionel Messi – eventually Barcelona would rob themselves of the Argentine, to PSG’s advantage.
Ever since, the two have been battling publicly and privately. The latest episode is the shock signing of Ousmane Dembele, which is expected to go through for €50m in the coming days.
However if both stick to their word, that will be the last exit from one side to another for some time. Sport say that the two clubs have agreed a pact of non-aggression, which means an informal agreement not to pursue each other’s players.
While Barcelona President Joan Laporta and Nasser Al-Khelaifi have battled on a number of issues over the years, Barcelona Sporting Director Deco and PSG Sporting Advisor Luis Campos share a long friendship.
That said, both Laporta and Al-Khelaifi have been known not only to overrule their employees, but also to change their minds. If the agreement does hold, Barcelona may feel themselves the winners of it, as they do not have the resources to pursue PSG’s stars, and may not do so for some time.
Coincidentally came after signing dembele roflmao
Also “coincidentally” after Barca threatened to go to UEFA and force PSG to prove they’re operating under FFP.
Letting Dembele go was a bigger deal in the media than it will be on the pitch. He is not Neymar in his prime, and never will be. If PSG want to pay him 20 million per for half a season (he’ll be injured the remainder of the time) and 10 total goal contributions, more power to them. I just think that Laporta had had enough of PSG targeting Barca players, and he knows that there’s a more than level chance that the French federation are not policing their golden goose regarding FFP.