According to Goal, Paris Saint-Germain are willing to part ways with Neymar and sell him to Barcelona. However, in return, they have demanded Philippe Coutinho and Nelson Semedo along with €50 million. It is believed that the Spanish giants are still keen on securing the services of Neymar. But, should they accept PSG’s player plus cash deal offer to sign the Brazilian international?
Should Barcelona let go of Coutinho?
Coutinho didn’t enjoy the best of times after moving to Catalonia at the start of last year. The Brazilian international clearly struggled to adapt to the new situation and failed to cope with the soaring expectations of the Barcelona fans. He did, however, had a productive time during the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, scoring eight goals.
But last season, Coutinho scored just five goals in 34 league outings. His chance creations and proficiency from set-pieces don’t exactly fit into the Barcelona attack that revolves around the ingenuity of Lionel Messi. Hence, the 27-year-old has struggled to make any notable impact in La Liga.
It might be the best time for Barcelona to cash in on Coutinho, who is still a valued attacker. He is more than capable enough to make himself a useful asset for PSG.
The struggles of Nelson Semedo
Coutinho isn’t the only one who has struggled since coming to Barcelona. A former member of the Benfica youth team, Semedo made the big-money move to Spain back in 2017 for a fee of €35 million.
However, despite all his talents, he has never acquitted a prominent role in the first-team. Instead, the Portuguese international was considered as a rotation player with Sergi Roberto. In fact, Semedo is yet to surpass the 2,000-minute mark in the league in any of his two seasons in the La Liga.
The right-back has also been a subject of a few off-field issues with the club, and a move away from Barcelona makes sense, even for the club. The Blaugrana already have Roberto as well as Moussa Wague, who is tipped as one of the best talents to come out of La Masia academy, of late.
What can Neymar provide to the table?
Neymar’s arrival at the club will more than make up for the potential departures of Coutinho and Semedo. As mentioned earlier, both the players haven’t played a key role for Barcelona during the 2018/19 campaign, and it’s unlikely the club will be fazed by their transfer to PSG.
As for Neymar, he already has the experience of playing with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez along with several other Barcelona stars. The Brazilian could help revive the famous MSN partnership in attack. Only this time, it will come with the pinch of Antoine Griezmann’s ingenuity – making Barcelona arguably the most feared attacking team in Europe.
