Former Chelsea and Brazil star Oscar has revealed that he was close to signing for FC Barcelona during his time at Shanghai Port in China.
“I had one close offer [from] Barcelona,” he said in a podcast with former Chelsea player Mikel John Obi.
It all happened when Barcelona were under strict financial fair play controls and had to resort to emergency signings in late 2021.
“Barcelona had problems, so they [came] to me,” Oscar recalled.
He remembered how Jordi Cruyff, who was managing Shenzhen FC in the
Chinese league earlier that year, had left to become Barça’s sporting director in the summer.
“He knows I’m there, I’m playing good there. I know that China, of course, is not the first level, but I’m playing good, I’m fit,” Oscar said.
The midfielder said Cruyff told him that he would arrive at Barcelona for six months on a short-term deal. The pitch, according to the midfielder, went something like this: “Of course, they don’t give you salary … like not free, but a small salary. But come here, and stay here, and help us. And after, if you decide, if you want to stay here or if you want to come back to China.”
It never advanced further than that because Barcelona needed Samuel Umtiti to leave to have space to sign Oscar.
“It was very close but … he didn’t leave because he didn’t find the right club,” Oscar said.
In that transfer window, Barcelona signed Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traoré, and Dani Alves, all either on loans, free transfers, or deferred payments. Oscar stayed at Shanghai Port until 2025 before rejoining his boyhood club, São Paulo. He played there for a year before retiring.
