Barcelona goalkeeper decides to refuse transfer offers and stay put at the club

In a surprise turn of events, as reported by SPORT, Barcelona goalkeeper Neto has decided against leaving the club and is ready to reject all offers he has on the table this summer.

Signed from Valencia almost three years ago, the Brazilian has spent almost his entire time at Barça playing second-fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Indeed, Neto has gotten a look-in only when the German international is out injured or being rested for cup ties.

As a result, the 32-year-old has made just 21 appearances for the Blaugrana to date, with four of them coming in the 2021/22 campaign.

Neto has been pushing for an exit from Camp Nou since last year as he sought regular playing time. And the Catalans were prepared to sanction an exit for the shot-stopper this summer with Inaki Pena primed to take over as ter Stegen’s understudy from the upcoming season.

However, in an unexpected U-turn, Neto has now decided not to leave Barcelona this summer. The report states that the former Juventus goalkeeper wishes to see out his contract with the La Liga heavyweights, which runs out in the summer of 2023.

It is further noted that the 32-year-old has already informed the club and his agents of his decision, who have been left surprised by the move.

Barcelona were desperate to offload Neto this summer as they wish to get rid of his wages and free up space on the payroll for new signings. The 32-year-old was attracting interest from his homeland of Brazil, while Lazio in Italy were also keen to sign him.

Barça were reportedly willing to give him a ‘letter of freedom’ to move him on in the summer. But with this latest move from Neto, the Blaugrana are left considering the possibility of unilaterally terminating his contract in order to clear up space on their wage bill.