Barcelona turn down 32-year-old’s request to leave the club in January | OneFootball

Second choice keeper Neto Murara has been asked by Barcelona to stay put until the summer despite the stopper’s desire to leave in the ongoing winter window, reports Spanish media outlet SPORT.

Neto is reportedly a wanted commodity in his homeland Brazil, with Flamengo credited with a strong interest. However, with Barcelona unlikely to sign a replacement this month, they have asked the 32-year-old to be patient until the summer.

Neto, in fact, asked to leave Barcelona last summer, but the club asked him to pay €15 million if he tends to do so. The Catalan club had three reasons. First, they still owed €15 million of his transfer fee to Valencia. Second, they would have to look for a replacement and third, then-manager Ronald Koeman wanted three keepers in the roster.

As things stand, the Brazilian stopper does not wish to continue playing as a second-fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen and is hence rushing for an exit.

The problem, however, remains the fact that the club does not want to give up its position of demanding money since his contract runs until 2023. Above all, they have no intention of signing a stopper this month. And hence, Neto must stay.