Jose Mourinho insists the £200 million fee Paris Saint-Germain are poised to pay for Neymar is “not expensive”.
Mourinho believes the Brazilian striker is worth the record-breaking price tag, but he did express concern the move would inflate the value of players who were not so deserving of big transfer fees.
If Neymar’s €222 million switch from Barcelona goes through it would be more than double the record fee – worth £89 million at the time – that took Paul Pogba from Juventus to United last summer.
“When we paid that amount for Paul I said that it was not expensive,” Mourinho said after United’s 2-1 friendly victory over Sampdoria in Dublin.
“Expensive are the ones who get into a certain level without a certain quality.
“I think that Neymar is the same (as Pogba). I don’t think he is expensive. For £200 million I don’t think he is expensive.
“I think he is expensive (in) the fact that now you are going to have more players at £100 million, you are going have more players at £80 million and more players at £60 million.
“And I think that’s the problem.
“Neymar is one of the best players in the world, commercially he is very strong and for sure PSG thought about it.
“So I think the problem is not Neymar, I think the problem is the consequences of Neymar.”
Provided by Press Association
