Neto is reportedly keen on joining Serie A giants Napoli as he looks to bring the curtains down on his stint with Barcelona this summer.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Neto is hoping to complete his move to Napoli before the ongoing week ends. The Catalan giants are ready to let the Brazilian goalkeeping ace walk away from Camp Nou for free, but they want him to forego the rest of his wages before joining the Serie A giants.
Barcelona might have been on a roll in the summer transfer window thus far, but there is still a lot of work to be done before Xavi Hernandez has his desired squad at his disposal. While they have signed several top-class players, they remain in the market for a few more additions.
At the same time, Barcelona will need to lighten the wage bill to register the new signings while balancing the books at the same time. The Blaugrana left behind several players in Barcelona before embarking on the pre-season tour to the USA, but none of them has come any closer to sealing their departures. However, one player who might finally be inching closer to the exit door at Camp Nou is Neto.
The 33-year-old goalkeeper joined Barcelona from Valencia three years ago, with Jasper Cillessen moving in the opposite direction. But Neto’s stint with the Catalan club has not gone to plan as he has managed only 21 appearances thus far, keeping seven clean sheets. So with his career headed nowhere at Camp Nou, Neto wants to leave Barcelona, with Napoli his preferred destination.
The Serie A giants have seen David Ospina join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in the summer transfer window, creating the need to bring in a goalkeeper ahead of the 2022/23 season. Neto has thus emerged as a viable target for Napoli, with the Barcelona ace keen on moving to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Barcelona will let him leave for free, but they want the veteran goalkeeper to forego the salary he will have earned by staying at Camp Nou for the final year of his contract. At the same time, they are hoping to see Neto agree to a lower wage package than the one he pockets at the Catalan club.
Celta Vigo had been keen on signing Neto before he chose to snub a move to the Balaidos. Fulham also attempted to sign the Barcelona ace, but he has his heart set on joining Napoli. It will be interesting to see if Neto gets to complete the transfer to Serie A this week.
