Ex-Barcelona president hopes Vinicius accepts Saudi offer: ‘Best thing for the Blaugrana’ | OneFootball

El Clasico has not quite been the same since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and it will take a while before the iconic game can reach the same heights in terms of crowd pull.

Yet, the game is back to being one of the most fascinating fixtures in football after both Barcelona and Real Madrid have completed their transitions.

Real Madrid’s team is studded with more well-known names in Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe and they arguable have the better project in the short term.

For that, however, the players must stay at the club and not turn to lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia and other competitors.

Indeed, the player primarily in question is Vinicius, whose signing Saudi Arabia are hell-bent on closing even if it means offering astronomical wages and transfer fees.

Former Barcelona president speaks on Vinicius

Speaking to the media in a recent interview (h/t AS), former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart was asked about the possibility of Real Madrid losing their crown jewel Vinicius to Saudi Arabia in the coming transfer windows.

“As a Barcelona fan, I hope Vinicius accepts the Saudi offer,” he said, reflecting just what a menace the Brazilian has been to Barcelona in recent years.

Saudi Arabia wants Vinicius. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Gaspart went on to add that he sincerely hoped the offer from Asia would be tempting enough to lure Vinicius away from Spain, saying:

“[The offer should] be good enough to convince Vinicius.”

Elaborating on the reason he was insisting on one of La Liga’s finest players to leave the league, Gaspart confessed that it was because it would help Barcelona.

“I hope he accepts it because he is one of the great players and his departure will be the best thing for the Blaugrana,” he noted.

Keeping all transfer talks to the side, the former Catalan president praised the Real Madrid winger for his quality and ability to decide games at the drop of a hat.

“He is a very fast player, with impressive dribbling, with a terrible character, but always very motivated by his team.”

Vinicius has a contract with Real Madrid until 2027 and is protected by a €1 billion release clause. The Merengues have no plans to sell their superstar forward and the only way Saudi Arabia can press ahead with a move is by activating his release clause.