Player agent André Cury, in an interview with AS, revealed details behind several major transfers in recent years. Cury has been involved in the transfers of players such as Vitor Roque, Vinicius Jr., Neymar, and Estevão.
On his relationship with Barça and Vitor Roque’s potential departure:
André Cury:
“Very good, very good. I’ve known Deco for many years. In 1998, I brought him to Europe, signing him with Portuguese second-division side Alverca. He’s a very good friend of mine—so is Laporta. Barcelona is like a second home to me, but working there has become very difficult. Take Vitor Roque, for example. Because of Financial Fair Play regulations, it’s incredibly hard to work with them. If you sign a player and, a few months later, can’t register him due to the same issues—like what happened with Vitor Roque—it’s unworkable. The media keeps attacking you too… it’s just impossible. The truth is, they couldn’t register him in the summer. Vitor Roque will definitely succeed—he’s immensely talented—but the problem is, shortly after his arrival, the club wanted to loan him out. However, the receiving club couldn’t guarantee a buy option. When we saw that, we received a €30 million offer from Palmeiras. So we decided to return to Brazil, refund Barça’s investment—and they could even make more since they retain a percentage of any future sale.”
On how much Dembélé could have cost initially:
André Cury:
“We could’ve signed Dembélé before his value skyrocketed. At Rennes, his release clause was only €5 million, but his agent was asking for over €10 million in commission. Even today, that’s an incredibly high fee. Dembélé didn’t want to come either, because he knew he wouldn’t get playing time. The kid was ambitious—he wanted to play and grow. So he went to Dortmund, and later Barça paid a fortune to sign him after Neymar left.”
On how Vinicius could have joined Barça:
André Cury:
“We met with Vinicius and his agent at their request, while I was still working for Barça. We wanted to sign him. Everything was ready—just waiting for the signature. But in the end, his family and agent changed their minds. The process wasn’t very transparent, but it is what it is. That’s football.”
On Neymar’s departure from Barça:
André Cury:
“Dembélé, Coutinho, and Griezmann cost over €450 million combined, while Neymar’s transfer brought in €222 million. If you add commissions, it might’ve been better to just raise Neymar’s salary. Pay him the highest salary in the world to keep him—because the other three gave the team almost nothing. The best move would’ve been to tell Neymar, ‘What’s your current salary? €15 million? I’ll give you €30 million—stay here.’ Real Madrid handles it well. Florentino Pérez never puts the club in debt for a player. When Cristiano Ronaldo wanted Messi-level wages, he went to Juventus instead. Barça never sells players—they never make money. If a player performs well, they extend and give him a raise. That’s the problem. Wages are so high that nobody wants to leave—not even on a free. Just look at Piqué, Alba, Busquets… When Suárez went to Atlético, Barça still paid part of his wages. Everyone wants to stay at the club forever.”