OMNISPORT

Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain full-back Juan Pablo Sorin believes Neymar's switch to Ligue 1 is a significant setback for Spanish football.

PSG smashed the world-record transfer fee with a €222million move for the Brazilian star, who Barca confirmed intends to leave in a statement on Wednesday.

Former Argentina captain Sorin won the Coupe de France during the 2003-04 season he spent Paris, which followed a short stint with the Catalan giants, and believes Neymar's defection will be felt across LaLiga.

"If Neymar leaves for PSG it would be a great loss for LaLiga because it would lose a fantastic player," Sorin said at an event in Buenos Aires, where his former club Villarreal are scheduled to play a friendly against Boca Juniors.

"[His signing] would be a luxury for Ligue 1, which has been growing a lot in recent years and has taken players of great value.

"Neymar is a monster as a player, he has a winning mentality. It's good for the sport."

PSG have continued to spearhead the recruitment of top talent in recent Ligue 1 seasons with big-money moves for the likes of Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Germany's Julian Draxler.

Unai Emery's side finished second behind Monaco last term after winning the four previous league titles.