• World football

Santos president rejects Neymar reports

ESPN staff
September 27, 2012
Neymar remains the centre of attention in Brazil © Getty Images
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Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has spoken out again about star player Neymar, claiming that he has not agreed a deal to join Barcelona.

Neymar, 20, is viewed as one of the best young players in the world but has insisted that he will stay in Brazil until the end of the 2014 World Cup finals which are hosted in the country.

Still, reports persist that the winger will move to Barcelona and Ribeiro claims his club has no need to sell their best player.

"Neymar is happy, he is playing well and more importantly, he is paid very well. Let's see if he stays [after 2014]," he told Radio Estadao ESPN.

"People have to convince themselves that Neymar will stay and that will happen for an obvious reason: if he stays until the end of his contract, any money involved in an eventual negotiation will be Neymar's. If Santos sell him before that, Santos will get that money.

"Santos don't need to sell players. Our cash flow doesn't include money from selling players. Santos are a club and as such have the objective of winning titles. And Neymar is the player that gives us more chances of achieving that."

Ribeiro also claims that Santos are as financially sound as any club in Europe.

"This is another aspect that isn't being taken into account," he added. "The economic situation of the European clubs is bad, they don't have money.

"If it wasn't for the Russians and Arabs, their situation would be even worse. Only the German clubs have a stable situation."

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