Catalan giants Barcelona are preparing to send a legal notice to the Brazilian club Santos for alleged complications over the transfer of Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol) and Givanildo Plugas (Giva). Santos is also the former club of Barcelona and Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr.
The Brazilian club allegedly received a sum of €7.9 million from Barcelona, who were securing the preferential rights of Gabigol, Giva and Victor Andrade. Securing the preferential rights meant Barcelona would be the first choice in theory if any of these three players were to leave Santos.
However, since Santos gave all three players carte blanche, the Catalonian club decided to pursue legal actions in order to force Santos hand over €1.8 million from Giva’s transfer fees, which was the exact amount the Spanish champions paid for the player. According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona has decided not to pay the remaining €2 million of the Neymar deal to Santos if the Brazilian club does not return the preferential rights fee of Giva, who plays for Ponte Preta now.
"The club are in a legal process," confirmed Albert Soler, the Director of Professional Sports of Barcelona to ESPN. "We had a preferential option for the player which wasn't complied with by Santos. We're studying all the legal possibilities to take the case forward, but it's a legal matter, not a sporting one,” he continued.
Legal feud between the two clubs has now gone too far as Barcelona and Santos both are being dragged to court on a regular basis for alleged third party involvement and transfer fraud over Neymar’s transfer to Camp Nou.
Also read: Barcelona news: Spanish National Court re-opens fraud case against Neymar
According to Sport-English, Barcelona officials feel cheated by Santos and the deal was broken in a lack of faith. The Sao Paulo-based club announced the sale of Gabigol to Serie A side Inter Milan three days after the transfer window closed hence not providing Barcelona for a counter-offer for the youngster.
However, according to ESPN Santos made Barcelona know of the Italians’ bid on 29th August, providing just a single day to Barcelona to decide if the Spanish champions wanted the youngster or not. Santos’ argument was made valid after the discovery of a document dated August 29 which clearly states Santos informed the Blaugrana of the bid of the Italian side Inter Milan for the transfer of Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol).
Barcelona went to bring Paco Alcacer from Valencia filling the fourth forward place, for which Gabigol was heavily linked with them.
