The 28-year-old left Hellas Verona at the end of the 2021/22 season, joining Fiorentina initially on loan and then on a permanent basis the following summer.
Lifting the lid on the events that transpired leading up to his departure from Hellas Verona, Barak revealed that he was all set to sign for Napoli.
The Czech Republic midfielder was identified to replace Fabian Ruiz, but his switch to Paris Saint-Germain took time to complete.
As a result, with Tottenham offering to loan Ndombele for almost no cost, Napoli pulled the plug on a swoop for Barak and the move was dead.
“At the end of the 21/22 season almost everything was already done with Napoli”, Barak was quoted as saying by Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport.
“But we weren’t able to close [the deal] because they delayed the sale of Fabian Ruiz, in whose place I should have arrived.
“In the end, Napoli received an offer to bring midfielder Ndombele from Tottenham almost for free.
“At the time I was very angry, but in hindsight, I don’t blame them at all for choosing that route.”
Ndombele joined Napoli on loan with an option to buy but the Italian champions decided against triggering it and he is now on another loan spell away from Spurs, at Galatasaray.
