Have FC Barcelona Given Up On Signing Neymar?

It had all appeared relatively straightforward.

In order to be reunited with Neymar, who left them in a world-record transfer in 2017, FC Barcelona merely had to stump up $200mn to activate the unique Webster Ruling. Or, if reports from ESPN were to be believed, part with around $167mn to PSG as their sporting director Leonardo’s patience had already run thin with his compatriot winger.

That was until March brought with it the coronavirus pandemic and saw the club close the doors to its stadium and museum. Without a single minute of competitive play completed since the 7th’s 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, which fired them back to the top of La Liga, revenue streams have dried up for the Catalans while TV money has also ceased to flow in.

And though reports of attempts to land Lautaro Martinez and Neymar in player-plus-cash swap deals continue to dominate front pages and column inches of their region’s leading sports newspapers, recent developments have suggested that the Blaugrana may be pressing ahead with the capture of the young Argentine but have given up on the more senior Brazilian.

Whispers that this might be the case originally surfaced when Lionel Messi gave an interview to Mundo Deportivo last week. Happy to discuss both targets at length in past sitdowns with either MD or its rival SPORT, the captain spoke only of Martinez in detail by branding the 22-year-old “a very complete forward” who is “strong”, “dribbles well”, “scores goals” and “knows how to protect the ball”.

Of Neymar, however, Messi was surprisingly coy. “There are a few people at the club who are in charge of the theme of signings and they are the ones who select who they think are best for the team. It’s obvious that the situation we are in will make the market a bit strange and you have to be sure to improve on what we have,” said the Ballon d’Or winner, tight-lipped.

At the start of the week, Wagner Ribeiro, the player’s former agent who remains close to the family, voiced his deduction that Neymar “will stay at PSG because the [transfer] market is [now] different”. “The economic world of football will change,” it was added, to Fox Sports.

And then, late on Tuesday afternoon, Barcelona-based radio station Sin Concesiones posted on its social media accounts that the club’s higher-ups had “discarded” signing Neymar this summer as the “incorporation of a center forward, such as Lautaro, is considered a priority”.

There is also the belief that cover for widemen is sufficiently provided by Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé, Francisco Trincão and Alex Collado, ran the claim, which was further expanded by Marcal Lorente on the airwaves.

A Mundo Deportivo journalist closely-aligned with members of the board, to the extent of being branded a “puppet” by Gerard Pique earlier this season, Lorente can be taken as a credible source and there might be considerable truth in his words.

So if Barça have truly surrendered in the chase for Neymar, at least for now, that is, will they try again at the end of next season?

Considering that the 28-year-old’s contract runs until June 2022, the handing over of a big money sum 12 months or less prior to expiry seems unlikely when they could wait to pick him up on a free.

But on the other hand, this approach invites the risk of PSG accepting a cut fee from a bitter foe such as Real Madrid, meaning FC Barcelona must act wisely to avoid the kind of grave misstep that saw Neymar exit the Camp Nou in the first place.

Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get in Touch

350FansLike
100FollowersFollow
281FollowersFollow
150FollowersFollow

Recommend for You

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

You might also like

Should You Really Stop Paying Your Student Loans Due...

President Donald Trump (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) ...

Italian Soccer Clubs Agree To 30% Wage Cut Amid...

MILAN, ITALY - DECEMBER 06: Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro...

How This Startup Makes Homeownership Affordable for Renters

Divvy Homes is a 2020 Inc. Best in Business honoree. This year, Inc. launched the Best...

Alcohol Sales Jump Everywhere But Pennsylvania, Where A Government...

Glass showcase with alcohol products. getty...