In 2017, Marco Verratti was one step away from becoming a new Barcelona player, according to his former representative Donato Di Campli.
The Italian midfielder asked for a move away and, in an interview with L’Equipe, his former agent confirmed the negotiations with the Catalan club and the player’s desire to leave the French capital.
“When Barca contacted me, I asked Marco what we’re doing. He told me to talk with them, and that we would also talk with PSG since an extension was in the pipeline. PSG were not great at the time, so I said to Marco: ‘Are we going or are we staying?‘
“He said ‘OK, let’s try a new experience’. Marco really wanted to go to Barcelona. He texted Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] to tell him.
“They were offering a lot of money, but it wasn’t even that. Playing with Messi, becoming a champion, which is a different thing to being a great player. PSG are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but they play in a weak league. I told Marco that if he wanted to become a champion, he had to change his tune. Marco was afraid that they would prevent him from playing and they told him that they were going to sign Neymar.“
