Midfielder Seri blasts Nice over broken Barca dream
BARCELONA: Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri has blamed the French club’s greed for the breakdown of his dream transfer to Barcelona in an explosive interview with Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo.
Seri’s move to the Catalan giants broke down after Nice’s Champions League qualifying defeat to Napoli last week amid reports Nice had upped their asking price due to interest from Paris St Germain.
“After the match (against Napoli) I met with Barcelona’s directors for more than an hour and they didn’t tell me anything about not going through with signing me,” said the Ivorian.
“I went home really happy; then the next day I read the news. I was stunned to see the move had broken down in an incomprehensible man- ner for me.
“I went to the Nice offices to see the board and find out what happened. I exploded! The walls shook.
“They didn’t say anything to me, they didn’t look me straight in the eye.
“It was clear what had happened. They had promised me one thing but didn’t keep their word and asked for more money.”
Relations between Barcelona and PSG have been strained by Neymar’s world record
222mil (RM1.1mil) move to the French side, whilst Barcelona have sued the Brazilian star for breach of contract.
Barcelona have already reinvested a large proportion of their windfall from Neymar’s departure by making French winger Ousmane Dembele the second most expensive player ever
in a 105mil (RM540mil) move that could rise to
147mil (RM756mil) depending on Dembele’s performance.
Seri remains hopeful he could yet be a Barcelona player before the transfer window closes this week but insists he is also wanted by a host of other top European clubs if Barcelona’s interest fades.
“I want to be optimistic and think that there is still a chance for the two clubs to get back around the table and reach an agreement,” he added.
“We are not taking about any other club. Big European clubs like Juventus, PSG, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool want to sign me.”