Neymar rejected Real Madrid’s €100 million+ offer to join Barcelona | OneFootball

Neymar Jr.’s name has once again become a hot topic among Barcelona fans this year, with reports claiming the Brazilian forward is keen on making a return to the Catalan club.

While a return to Catalonia might not be a possibility for Neymar anymore, the player’s close agent and former Barcelona scout Andre Cury has recently revealed that the forward had an offer from Real Madrid that was too good to refuse, just before his initial move to Barcelona.

How much were Real Madrid offering Neymar?

Speaking to UOL (h/t SPORT), Cury shed light on the negotiations that led to the Brazilian’s arrival at Camp Nou. He recalled just how close Neymar was to joining Real Madrid, who were willing to go to extreme lengths to secure his signature.

“The deal I’m most proud of among the ones I did at Barcelona was the Neymar deal. He had an offer from Real Madrid of more than €100 million tax-free for him, but with work, with Messi, we managed to convince him with a much lower amount.

“He arrived on a lower salary, but he left Barcelona with a top-three salary,” Cury told UOL.

Neymar has been finding his groove in Santos (Photo by Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images)

Despite the tempting financial package from Real Madrid, Neymar ultimately chose Barcelona. His admiration for Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho played a crucial role in his decision.

Neymar himself had admitted the same in an earlier interview, stating,

“I ended up listening to my heart. My dream was to play for Barcelona. Ronaldinho, Messi. My dream was to play with Messi. And that’s when I decided to go to Barça,”

This came at the expense of Real Madrid’s desire to sign the Brazilian forward, who scored tonnes of goals at Barcelona and was part of the famed MSN trio.

However, in 2017, Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222 million transfer.

Fast forward to the present day, the Brazilian is currently plying his trade for Santos, where he has already racked up three goals and three assists since returning to the club.