Neymar reportedly wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and return to Barcelona.
French publication L’Equipe reported on August 8 (KST), “Neymar wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). PSG’s Neymar has told the club’s management that he wants to leave Paris this summer.”
European soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano added: “It’s no secret. Neymar wants to return to Barcelona. It’s always in his mind. Neymar is ready. But there is still a long way to go. Barcelona knows the terms of the deal, the salary and the player’s intentions. It’s up to Barcelona to decide if he wants to sign,” the report said.
The problem is the transfer fee. Florian Plettenberg, a reporter for Germany’s Sky Sports, said: “PSG are looking to sell Neymar this summer. However, the price remains the key issue.”
Neymar began his career with Brazilian side Santos in 2009 and quickly became a highly sought-after prospect beyond his native country. His performances attracted the attention of Barcelona, and he arrived at Camp Nou in 2013. Neymar’s flashy skills translated to the Spanish La Liga. In his first season, Neymar scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists, making him a key part of the team’s offense.
He formed an MSN line with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and became a key part of the Barcelona attack. In four seasons, Neymar won 10 trophies, including two La Liga titles, one UEFA UCL title, and three Copa del Rey titles, and was recognized as a world-class player.
But Neymar had other dreams. He was looking for a team where he could be the center of attention, and PSG was interested in him. At the time, PSG paid a whopping €220 million transfer fee for Neymar. Neymar has been the spearhead of the attack at PSG. In 173 appearances over the past six seasons, he scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists, winning five Ligue 1 titles and the Coupe de France three times.
But last season, there was a dissonance. It was reported that PSG wanted to build a team around Kylian Mbappe and eventually sell Neymar due to his high weekly wages. However, the sale never materialized as Neymar wanted to stay.
At the start of the season, Neymar was in sensational form. He scored seven goals and provided six assists in the month of August. This season, however, he has been plagued by injuries and hasn’t been able to help his team when it matters. In late February, Neymar suffered an ankle injury that put him out for the season.
PSG fans were furious. Some PSG fans, angered by Messi’s trip to Saudi Arabia in May, took to the streets of Neymar’s home to protest. They were frustrated with the player’s underperformance and frequent injuries. While Neymar is at his best when he’s on the field each season, the fact that he only plays about 20 league games each season has led to a growing frustration among fans.
However, Neymar was in good spirits in training ahead of the new season. He and Lee Kang-in trained together with a smile on their faces, and fans were expecting a lot. In particular, his ‘bromance’ with Lee Kang-in attracted the attention of many fans.
Lee Kang-jin and Neymar made waves when they were seen sitting side by side on a bed receiving a massage. Neymar and Lee were also photographed training together and hugged affectionately.
The chemistry continued on the Japan tour. During their preseason tour of Japan, Lee spent time right next to Neymar. PSG organized a cultural experience during the tour. According to a video released on March 24, Lee spent time with Neymar at a tea ceremony and making okonomiyaki.
Even on the training field, the pair quickly bonded as they joked around. During a training session on March 31, Lee joked around with Neymar and even kicked him in the butt, indicating that the two have become very close.
Lee Kang-in and Neymar watched the game together on the bench against Inter Milan on Jan. 1, and their playful interaction became the talk of the town. When Neymar touched Lee’s bangs, Lee laughed and rejected the touch. In response, Neymar burst out laughing, his face full of mischief.
The two players also shared a dream moment on the field. On March 3, PSG faced off against Jeonbuk Hyundai. Neymar started and played the entire game, while Lee came on as a substitute in the 24th minute. It was a short game, but it was significant because it was the first time the two players had played together.
However, ahead of the start of the season, news broke that Neymar wanted to leave the club. Of course, for this to happen, Barcelona would have to pay an astronomical transfer fee. However, Barcelona are currently struggling to sign players due to their deteriorating finances.
On June 6, Spanish news outlet FCBN reported, “A week before their La Liga opener against Getafe, Barcelona have been unable to register most of their squad. They hope to activate a new lever of 60 million euros (about 863 million won).”
Barcelona made a total of three signings this summer. In addition to Gundogan, they brought in Inigo Martinez and Oriol Romeu. The three players cost just €3.4 million in transfer fees. Gundogan and Martinez were free agents and cost no transfer fee, while Romero cost €4.5 million in transfer fees, of which €1.1 million was reportedly paid by Romero himself.
Barcelona didn’t spend big last season, despite winning the La Liga title. In fact, they were in a financial position that made it difficult to spend. The pandemic has had a huge impact on Barcelona’s finances. As their overall revenues dropped, their finances exploded, and they were forced to part ways with the likes of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
But the financial problems didn’t get any better. Barcelona ended up activating the lever four times last summer. Leveraging is the practice of selling future broadcasting rights in order to get paid in advance. “The second lever has been triggered,” said Spanish outlet Sport. Barcelona will receive 400 million euros (about 536 billion won) and pay Capital 15 percent of the rights for 25 years.”
With the money from the sale of the rights, Barcelona immediately began signing players. Barcelona signed Robert Lewandowski last season, as well as Jules Kunde and Hapinha. But there was a problem. The club needed more cash to register their new signings.
Eventually, Barcelona pulled the third lever. Barcelona sold a 24.5% stake in Barça Studios to Socios.com for €100 million. But it wasn’t enough, and Barcelona activated the fourth lever, finally closing the player registration.
The fire is out, but the problem is this summer. Barcelona have reduced their wage bill by selling Griezmann, Francisco Trincan and Nico Gonzalez and letting Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba go, but they still haven’t signed a player.
As a result, they will activate the lever again to free up cash. ‘FCBN’ reports that “Barcelona will need 60 million euros to register a first-team squad including Guendogan, Romero and Martinez. The money corresponds to the sale of 16% of the ‘Barça studio’ and was negotiated through a sale to a German investment fund.”온라인바카라,
Obviously, signing Neymar in this situation would be very difficult. For PSG, it would be difficult to sell a player who cost them a whopping €222 million for a pittance. PSG also have a €250 million price tag on Kylian Mbappe, who has one year left on his contract. So, it’s clear that Neymar’s move to Barcelona is not going to be easy.