Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski has stated that he was close to joining Barcelona in the January transfer window. The move ultimately fell through as Barca’s second-choice goalkeeper Neto did not want to leave the club at the time.
Since moving from Valencia in the summer of 2019 for €26 million, Neto has had a tough time getting minutes under his belt. The 32-year-old keeper has reportedly grown unhappy at the Camp Nou, tired of playing second fiddle to first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
As a solution, Barca supposedly tried to bring in Dimitrievski from Vallecano, who has produced some fine performances for the club this season.
Surprisingly, Neto refused to leave the Catalan giants in the end, forcing the Blaugrana to withdraw their offer from Dimitrievski. Speaking to Sport (via The Hard Tackle), the 28-year-old revealed the reason behind his botched move to the Camp Nou, saying:
“In January I agreed with Barcelona. Everything was ready, the only thing missing was to sign the contract. But everything stopped because of Neto. He didn’t want to leave.”
In the 2021-22 campaign, Neto has only featured in three games in all competitions, conceding four goals. Dimitrievski, on the other hand, has featured in 29 games across competitions, conceding 31 goals and keeping nine clean sheets.
Barcelona end poor home run with win over Mallorca
Having lost their last three home games across competitions, Barcelona were eager to put an end to their unwanted streak against Mallorca on Sunday (1 May).
Goals from Memphis Depay (25) and Sergio Busquets (54) ensured that the Spanish outfit did not endure another humiliation at home. Antonio Raillo pulled one back roughly 10 minutes before the end of the regulation time, but it only served as consolation.
Depay, who has faced scrutiny for his recent displays in Barcelona colors, was the star of the show in the hosts’ 2-1 win. Not only did the Dutchman take his goal in superb fashion, but he also created chances at will.
Against Mallorca, the former Manchester United forward completed five dribbles, made three key passes, and won 10 of his 11 duels. It was easily one of his finest performances since moving to Barcelona ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
