Kluivert: Barcelona signing Neymar would hurt Ansu Fati progress | OneFootball

Barcelona academy director Patrick Kluivert fears that re-signing Neymar would hurt the progress of young players like Ansu Fati.

Barça were close to bringing Neymar back to Camp Nou this summer, before negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain broke down over payment structures.

And Kluivert believes the club must prioritise their academy ethos instead of championing multi-million euro transfers.

“You never know, but as you’ve seen, it’s not easy to sign Neymar” he told RAC1.

“For two reasons: Qatar, and also the fact that if you bring in Neymar, you slow down some players that are already at the club.

“This is a decision that must be made internally. If you bring him in, he’s a great player. But Ansu Fati, who plays the same role, you put the brakes on him, or other players.

“What do we want to do? That’s what we have to ask ourselves. Do we want Neymar, do we want young players to come through, or do we want both?”

Barcelona return to domestic action against Leganés on Saturday.