Faustino Asprilla claims he would be worth nearly £200million, in today’s market.
Newcastle shelled out £6.7m to sign him in February 1996 as they battled Manchester United for the title.
But he insists he the Toon would have been forced to pay a much higher price in 2018.
Asked how much he would be sold for now, he told TuttomercatoWeb: “The same as Neymar — no doubt!”
Asprilla, now 48, first moved to Europe in 1992 with Parma, where he won a Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup and Uefa Cup before moving to Tyneside.
He would spend two years with St James’, with his highlight being a stunning hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.
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And he won another Uefa Cup and Coppa Italia with Parma in the 1998-99 season.
Asprilla explained he was happy at Newcastle and left because he felt unwanted by then Toon boss Kenny Dalglish.
He added: “I have never regretted the move. I have always been grateful to Parma for what they have given me.
“I remember the fans chanted my name on my return and when the opportunity arose, I didn’t think twice about it — it led to me winning two more trophies.
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“I left Newcastle even though I was happy in England, but the manager at the time didn’t want to keep me.”
Asprilla also drew on his own experience to explain why, unlike many other mid-season transfers, he expected Philippe Coutinho to hit the ground running at Barcelona.
Asked if moving during a campaign can cause an imbalance, he said: “It depends.
“It certainly wasn’t the case for me because, when Newcastle signed me, I was playing regularly at Parma.
“I have noticed that most players who move clubs in January had been spending plenty of time on the bench in the previous months and that doesn’t help.
“If you need to make a move, you need to do what Barcelona did with Coutinho: which is to sign a top player which will instantly improve the team.”
Asprilla also revealed Parma rejected a £14.6m from AC Milan before he joined Newcastle.