"Leo was signed. In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch, and he told me he was excited about coming back, and I saw it. We talked until March, and I told him, 'Okay, when you give me the OK, I'll tell the president because I see it as a good move from a footballing perspective.'"
"Laporta told me, and I quote, that if Leo came back, he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn't allow it. And then suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because he'd been told on the other end that it couldn't be done."
"I insisted that we'd been talking with Leo for five months, it was a done deal, there were no doubts about his footballing ability, and financially we were going to Montjuïc and we were going to do...A last dance like Jordan's, all set up."
A club official recounts negotiations to bring back a prominent player following their World Cup victory in January 2023. Discussions continued for five months with the player expressing genuine enthusiasm about returning. League approval was obtained and financial terms were arranged. However, the club president intervened, explicitly stating opposition to the player's return and threatening conflict if it proceeded. This presidential decision caused the player to cease communications, ultimately derailing what was described as a completed agreement. The official characterizes this as a missed opportunity for a significant career milestone.
#transfer-negotiations #club-management-conflict #player-contract-dispute #world-cup-winner #presidential-interference
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