Barcelona player waiting for club to release him after agreeing move to join La Liga side - Reports
Barcelona goalkeeper Norberto Murara, better known as Neto, is reportedly close to departing the Camp Nou.
According to Mundo Deportivo (via Barca Universal), the back-up custodian has agreed a three-year deal with fellow La Liga outfit Celta Vigo. Neto is said to be waiting for the Blaugrana to release him from his contract to complete the transfer once and for all. The Brazilian's deal was set to expire next summer.
Neto could become the fourth player to depart Barcelona this summer. Xavi Hernandez's side have notably loaned out Clement Lenglet to Tottenham Hotspur while youth prospect Rey Manaj has been sold to Watford. Dani Alves has also left the Nou Camp following the expiry of his short-term contract.
Neto to Celta Vigo is almost done. The player will sign for three seasons, the only thing missing is for Barça to terminate his contract.
— @La_SER https://t.co/zXxWL9GKnc
It is worth noting that Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong, who spent last season with the Catalans on loan, have returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sevilla respectively.
Aside from the aforementioned players' departures, the Blaugrana have welcomed two new signings to the club. Andreas Christensen has joined on a free transfer from Chelsea, while Franck Kessie arrived on a Bosman move from AC Milan.
However, the club are yet to register either player due to their financial situation, according to GiveMeSport.
Despite their glaring economic problems, Xavi's side have been tipped to make a few signings this summer. They have been repeatedly linked with moves for Leeds United forward Raphinha and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
Neto never really got an extended run of games at Barcelona
Barcelona signed Neto in the summer of 2019 from Valencia in a deal worth around €35 million including add-ons. He replaced the outgoing Jasper Cillessen, who joined Los Che in a separate deal.
The Brazilian was expected to play second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen and never really got much of a look-in during his time with the Blaugrana. Neto played five times in all competitions in his debut campaign. He followed that up with 12 and four appearances over the next two seasons.
Overall, he has made just 21 appearances for the Catalan giants in three years. To put that into context, Neto played 34 times in La Liga and 47 times across all competitions during the 2018-19 season alone for Valencia.
Should the 32-year-old seal a move away from the Camp Nou this summer, Barcelona could promote Inaki Pena permanently to the first team. The youngster enjoyed a solid spell on loan with Galatasaray last season.
Iñaki Peña [brought to you by Spotify] https://t.co/Ha89Zbv3Fh