The Brazil star reportedly covets a return to Catalunya after asking to be sold by the French champions, but the Blaugrana should steer clear
Another year, another rumour suggesting that Neymar will be leaving Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazilian star has hardly spent a summer in the French capital without being linked with a move away. This time, though, what appeared to once live in the realm of gossip columns and social-media speculation has become something more concrete. Neymar, according to , has told PSG that he wants out. And now, we are led to believe, he really means it.
Of course, the predictable links have cropped up. Chelsea have, depending on who you believe, both entered talks and ruled out the signing entirely. Numerous Saudi Pro League sides have also enquired. But the big name, perhaps the most likely contender for his services, is Barcelona.
And there's some romance to this one. Barcelona are his former home, the club where Neymar staked his claim to be one of the best in the world. He won seven trophies across four years in Catalunya, scored 105 goals, and finished third in Ballon d'Or voting twice. That he wants to go back, and Barca president Joan Laporta is interested in securing his services, is of little surprise.
But while Neymar wants to relive part of his footballing youth, the new, Xavi-led version of Barcelona has grown up. This is a wiser organisation now, one more financially prudent, a club that should avoid the Neymar saga — and has shown it has the smarts to do so.
(C)Getty ImagesNeymar, the megastar
It was, perhaps, Neymar's megastardom that drew him to Paris in the first place. The Brazilian wanted his own spotlight, a sole role in the centre of a club, without other big names snatching attention from him. Finally, he had the platform to go from the consensus third-best player in the world to the undisputed finest. That, coupled with the handsome, €36.8 million (£32m/$41m) salary, made the Parisians' offer relatively easy to accept.
What happened next is well-chronicled at this point. Neymar was swiftly joined in Paris by Kylian Mbappe, and the two embarked on a six-year tour of Champions League failures and limited domestic success. Other actors joined them along the journey — Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Ramos all had their go — but none of those additions yielded any results. And perhaps more importantly for Neymar, each one took a tiny slice of attention away from him. Gradually, PSG's star man, the centre of the nation-state-owned project, became a role player in a side defined by its glut of superstars.
And it's not like Neymar has helped himself, either. Here is a player who is already polarising for his embodiment of 'samba' football. Neymar elasticos past a defender, then falls over when he's hardly been touched. Neymar beats four opponents, then gets booked for reacting to a foul from one of them. Neymar tallies 30 goal contributions in every PSG season, but taints his image with off-field antics. There were the wild parties, the midnight McDonald's trips, the curious tendencies to be injured at the same point of every season.
These are all damaging things for a normal footballer. But for one of Neymar's style, standing, and stardom, they are damning. He is, by this point, an immensely talented but injury-prone player who is the wrong side of 30.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBarcelona's past failures
These are the kinds of things that Barcelona have ignored in the past. Every time a big name crops up in transfer rumours around Europe, the Blaugrana are among the first to be linked. And too often they have coughed up. They panic-bought injury-prone and unproven Ousmane Dembele shortly after Neymar's departure, handing Borussia Dortmund €105m (£90m/$116m) for a 19-year-old who had only started 22 matches at the top level.
A few months later, they coveted Phillipe Coutinho. They paid up again, gifting Liverpool €160m (£142m/$176m) for a player who was quickly becoming surplus to requirements for Jurgen Klopp's men. And 18 months after that, when Antoine Griezmann was ready for a move away from Atletico Madrid, Barca met his €120m (£107m/$134m) release clause — despite there being no clear spot in the side for his inclusion.
Those three players, bought for a combined €385m (£339m/$426m), will have been sold for less than €100m once Dembele's protracted move to PSG goes through. Add in the fact that Barca only get half of Dembele's reported €50m (£43m/$54m) fee, and they will have lost over €300m (£260m/$330m) by outbidding everyone else for top European stars.
And that doesn't even include the near-misses. At various points, Barcelona have been linked with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix, while only after four years at the club, the €75 million spent on Frenkie de Jong is starting to look like a reasonable investment. There is a history here, a line of risky, often reckless decisions that have been made in the name of the club badge and perceived power, rather than on-field performance.
(C)Getty ImagesCurrent shortcomings
Those decisions, combined with questionable financial mismanagement in the boardroom and reckless contracts handed out to aging players, left Barca where they are now. Even so, they have already been in the market this summer for one megastar.
Much of the noise around Camp Nou for the last year has surrounded the promise of re-signing another former club legend. Barcelona, we are led to believe, tried everything to sign Messi. They mortgaged the future of their own club, ruined their own in-house and external media deals, and pushed back the registration of some of the world's best young players in order to secure the return of the Argentine. And at the end of it all, after public courtship from the manager, club president and some of the players, Barca's financial manoeuvres weren't enough.
The team that once relied on its financial might and marketing clout to compete for the best names in Europe couldn't even afford to bring in the best of them all — even on a wage far below his market value. The saga is emblematic of Barca's struggles. They are now forced to watch the best player to ever grace their club finish his career across the Atlantic.
There is little to suggest that things will be different with Neymar. Although he reportedly wants to return to his former club, there is little indication that he is willing to make financial sacrifices to do so. This year, at PSG, he earned €36m (£31m/$40m). Barcelona likely cannot come close to that. Concessions will perhaps be made, but Neymar will still want a reasonable wage.
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GettyImageA new strategy
Perhaps Barca have changed. Xavi has worked admirably with his financial limitations, giving young players a chance to flourish, while finding value in the transfer market. Under him, the Gavi-Pedri duo has become one of the best midfield tandems in world football. Andreas Christensen proved to be good value on a free last summer, forming a solid partnership with Ronald Araujo at centre-back. Meanwhile, his willingness to bring La Masia full-back Alejandro Balde into the side — at the expense of club legend Jordi Alba — has given Barca an extra attacking thrust on the left.
The manager has also given new life to players who seemed to be growing out of the shirt. He revitalised Sergio Busquets last year, stripping down his responsibilities to the passing and tackling that made him a position-defining No.6. He carved out a role for De Jong that allowed the Dutch midfielder to replicate his magical spell at Ajax in 2019. He even got life out of Ansu Fati, who grabbed 10 goals in all competitions while playing the most minutes of his injury-interrupted career.
This summer, everything seems geared towards for a similar strategy. Ilkay Gundogan looks like solid business on a free transfer while Inigo Martinez will provide valuable centre-back cover having also arrived as a free agent. Meanwhile, Oriol Romeu was impressive against Real Madrid in pre-season after being brought in for less than €8m (£7m/$9m) from Girona. Their only big outlay has been on Brazilian teenager Vitor Roque, though he will not arrive until the new year.
And the spending will likely end there — unless any other money crops up. Xavi himself has reportedly refused to sanction a move for Neymar, while also brushing off the minute chance of bringing in a disgruntled Felix. Barcelona may be priced out of the transfer, but they're also smart enough to avoid it now. Why would a title-winning team revert back to their old ways?