Laporta blames agent for Dro’s transfer from Barcelona to PSG – ‘It was a betrayal’ | OneFootball

With less than a couple of days remaining before the Barcelona election, presidential candidate Joan Laporta recently spoke to Gerard Romero (h/t SPORT).

The former Barcelona president particularly opened up about the January departure of Pedro Fernandez ‘Dro’, whose move to PSG broke many hearts.

In this interview, Laporta admitted how the move was orchestrated by his agent, Ivan de la Pena, also known as Lo Pelat.

Laporta on Dro’s exit saga

Laporta explained how Barcelona haven’t had the same problem with super-agent Jorge Mendes as they had with Ivan de la Pena.

“With Jorge Mendes, we’ve kept Lamine, and we haven’t had the same problem as with ‘Lo Pelat’, where Dro went to PSG because of him. If Jorge Mendes had had Dro, it wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Laporta went on to deem Dro’s January exit as “a betrayal” and a “disgrace and a treacherous backstab” by de la Pena.

The former Barcelona president also thanked PSG for an additional fee for “maintaining cordial relations with Barça, and I thank them for it .”

“I felt bad for Hansi,” Laporta added. “He placed him in the first team dynamic, to the detriment of players who deserved it more because they had Barça more ingrained in them.

“With his agent, due to his history with Barça, he had a special relationship and it seemed like a betrayal,” he added.

Laporta has blamed Ivan de la Pena for Dro’s exit. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Laporta on Marcus Rashford

Laporta went on to talk about Marcus Rashford and his retention process, with Barcelona having an option to sign him permanently for €30 million.

“We are looking at ways,” he said. “He has a level of assists and goals that we are very happy with.”

The Spaniard added that extending the loan contract is something Barcelona could be looking for.

“One of the options is to secure another loan. The club are also looking at exercising part of the purchase option, and we’ll see about the rest,” he said.

No matter what happens, Barcelona are extremely happy with Rashford’s progress, with Laporta adding, “He gives us good vibes and he’s also keeping an eye on the Foundation.”

As far as Robert Lewandowski is concerned, Laporta admitted his intention is to “renew his contract for another season.”

“We like to treat our players well,” said Laporta, who has been very open about his desire to renew the contract of Lewandowski and let him stay at the club for another season.