Neymar has agreed to join Barcelona on a two-year deal worth 13 million euros per season
On Thursday, the Catalan daily newspaper stated that his current club, Paris Saint-Germain, would be willing to allow him return to the club he left in 2017 if his €222 million ($244 million) release clause was activated.
According to L’Equipe, Neymar has previously notified PSG of his desire to go, and he was later informed by new head coach Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos that he does not feature in their plans for the forthcoming 2023/2024 season.
Neymar’s wage, which was reported as $50 million per year in Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes, is tough for the Catalans to achieve given their difficulties with Financial Fair Play Limits.
SPORT later reported that Neymar will be paid €12 million ($13.1 million) if he returned to the Blaugrana.
On Friday, the site stated that Neymar has effectively accepted to join the club he joined from hometown club Santos in 2013 because he has given his approval to receiving the lower pay package.
All that remains to be resolved is the 31-year-old’s departure from PSG. The club’s asking price for the Brazilian is estimated to be between €60 and €150 million, which Barcelona cannot afford.
So it seems more possible that he would sign for one of the Saudi teams managed by the government-backed Public Investment Fund, with Al-Hilal already being mentioned, before being loaned to Barcelona for at least a year.
All sides appear to be in agreement on such an operation, which is now being considered with the assistance of Barcelona president Joan Lapora’s close friend and Neymar’s representative, Pini Zahavi.
Other outlets, like as UOL Esporte, have suggested that Neymar’s contract may be terminated. However, this is not considered plausible because PSG would only cancel his contract if he gave up the remaining money on the deal, which Neymar is unwilling to do.
Going the Saudi route, on the other hand, benefits everyone. PSG receives a transfer fee and saves money on Neymar’s contract, while the player is compensated generously in the Middle East.
Neymar also gets the second chapter at Barcelona that he has longed for, with the La Liga winners strengthened immediately by the arrival of one of the world’s top players when in form and injury-free.
