By Gianni Verschueren
Barcelona star Neymar is once again being linked with a move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, as Les Parisiens are reportedly willing to trigger his massive buyout clause, and his agent has admitted representing the club would be “a dream for all players.”
According to French daily L'Equipe (h/t French football journalist Jonathan Johnson), the €193 million fee it would take to bring Neymar to Paris wouldn't be an issue:
The Brazil international has been linked with a move to PSG before―L'Equipe (h/t Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon) previously reported he will be the club's top transfer target during the upcoming summer transfer window.
But the agent's admission the move would be possible and something Neymar could be open to will surely put the rumour mill into overdrive.
Per Sky Sports' Guillem Balague, Neymar has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, and Barcelona's ongoing struggles with financial fair play regulations explain why the 24-year-old has so far kept the door to a move open:
Barcelona cannot afford to give new contracts to Lionel Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar as it stands - financially they do not have the power to do so. They need to bring a lot of money in, if they do that they will be able to keep them, but if they don't they may have to get rid of one. That's why Neymar keeps leaving the door open for United and others.
Neymar continues to impress on an almost weekly basis for the Blaugrana and has already scored a remarkable 21 goals and added 10 assists in La Liga this season, per WhoScored.com. He's easily one of the club's most important players on the pitch, and as a superstar in his native Brazil, he's marketable off it.
In Catalonia, he's part of an exceptionally talented group of attackers, and he terrorises defences every week alongside Lionel Messi andLuis Suarez. As the youngest member of that group, he's likely the one player Barcelona want to keep hold off.
But the transfer speculation won't go away, and there are a number of reasons for that. Speaking to Cadena Ser (h/t Sky Sports), Neymar's father admitted back in November his son could leave Barcelona, as contract negotiations were being held up by persistent legal issues involving a tax evasion case.
Sport Witness said this latest story emerging from France is about more than Neymar wanting an improved deal:
According to Ribeiro (h/t Sport Witness), Barcelona only want Neymar to play in one major international tournament this summer, while the Brazilian is desperate to appear in both the Summer Olympics and the Copa America, yet another reason why he could be tempted to join PSG.
Because Neymar has a buyout clause, Barcelona would be powerless to stop him leaving once a club triggered it and convinced the player a transfer would be the right move.
Here's a look at the player PSG would be signing if that were to happen:
Until now, a move never seemed likely, as Neymar looked committed to the Barcelona project and continued to shine alongside Messi and Suarez. But the comments from his agent have opened the door for a major move as early as this summer, and other clubs, including Manchester United, will have taken note.
Expect Barcelona to do everything possible to keep Neymar at the club, starting with an improved contract. But their current issues with financial fair play mean they might not be able to offer what PSG would put on the table during the summer, and the reported fee of €193 million would go a long way toward helping them out in that department.
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