Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta says they were forced into buying Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan. Ibra proved a big flop at Barca last season.
"When the club won the Treble in 2009, the technical staff wanted a few 'locker room modifications' to help the team ethic," Laporta told As.
"This is how we came to swap Eto'o and Ibrahimovic, a move that at the time was wanted by Pep Guardiola.
"Aside from the Swede, the other two options were Diego Forlan and David Villa. However, Eto'o would not go to Real Madrid, as he preferred Inter.
"Valencia were asking too much for Villa, while Atletico Madrid had no intention of selling Forlan.
"There was the problem that Eto'o would absolutely not accept a transfer to Valencia or Atletico Madrid. In fact, the only club he was happy with was Inter.
"There was no other alternative to satisfy the Coach and his technical staff."
