It seems apparent now that neither hell nor high water can stand in the way of Neymar’s determination to rejoin his Barcelona counterparts this summer.
Neymar has rocked the ramparts of the foundation of Paris Saint-Germain by informing them in a not-to-be-messed-with tone that he won’t sign a new contract and will demand a transfer this summer. That’s according to Spanish outlet SPORT, which claims Neymar is hell-bent on returning to Barcelona this summer.
Barcelona have a tricky summer transfer window to negotiate as they have been heavily linked with both Neymar and Lautaro Martinez, and are unlikely to spend a lot of money but will instead try to wrangle some deals and player swops, the key of which would be to tempt PSG into parting ways with Neymar by offering up players in exchange, while they will attempt to convince Inter Milan into lowering their valuation of Martinez.
The La Liga giants spent all of last summer trying to sign Neymar back from PSG, but were unable to reach a deal purportedly for one of the main reasons being that Neymar’s refusal to issue a public statement that he wanted to leave the Parisiens – despite having made known his intention to the club of his desire to leave – ended up with the club having the upper hand when it came to negotiations with Barca.
But now, all that appears to be changing.
SPORT reports that with the French season now over, Neymar has now told PSG that he definitely wants out, and won’t sign a new deal with the club.
Neymar’s contract is due to expire in 2022, meaning PSG are actually in no rush to sell, but the longer they hold onto him, the less they are likely to get in the way of a lucrative transfer fee.
Various French outlets have stated that the Ligue 1 champions are beginning to refocus all their attention towards Kylian Mbappe’s future, and will willingly let Neymar leave while pursuing Mbappe’s extension, whose contract runs out in 2022 as well, and PSG are reluctant to let him enter into the final year of his contract.
Barcelona have reportedly been watching the developments in France, and are now preparing to make their next move.
SPORT claims they are preparing to propose a player-exchange deal in order to bring PSG’s demands down.
The Parisiens had demanded £194million for their record signing last year, though his valuation has reportedly fallen to just £137m.