When Neymar joined PSG in 2017, his fans would have thought that the Brazilian superstar would be able to move out of the shadow of one Argentine and finally be able to be the focal point of his team. Little did they understand that two years down the line, the same man would pull out one theatrics after the other, although in vain, to return to the same club who had once instituted a lawsuit against him.
A season and a pandemic later, now the 28-year old forward wants to take a fifty per cent pay cut just to return to the Catalan club once again and be reunited with the same Argentine, who had then apparently placed Neymar under his own shadow. Mundo Deportivo (as reported by Dailymail) now states that Neymar would be willing to cut his wage by half if that ensures his smooth sailing from Paris Saint-Germain to Barcelona.
The finances behind this deal are staggering. Neymar already earns £600,000 per week and therefore would accept £300,000 per week at Barcelona. Meanwhile, PSG, who were looking for £175 million for him, would now accept £132 million for the same man.
It is also to be noted that Neymar has refused a contract extension with PSG worth £90 million, which apparently made the French club realise that they would be unable to keep hold of their star man beyond the summer. It is also worth mentioning that Neymar has been one of the players to reject the proposal of any wage cut by PSG due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the financial loss that the clubs have had to endure.
Barcelona, on the other hand, would be delighted with this news. If reports are to be believed, then Quique Setien has decided to sell a number of his high profile players, including Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann. In addition to these two names, former Liverpool stars Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho may also part ways with Barcelona.
Griezmann had been the transfer that had kept every media outlet busy last summer, and the forward cannot be termed as a flop either, scoring 14 goals in 37 games so far. Despite that, he has failed to live up to his expectations at Camp Nou, and a lot of it can be termed on his lack of bonding on the field with Messi. Dembele has had a modest time with Barcelona in his three years spell at the club, which has been riddled with injuries, featuring in 51 league matches in total.
Under these circumstances, the return of the prodigal son, Neymar would be music to the ears of Setien as he would get at his disposal a world class forward who knows the club in and out. Neymar had spent the most productive years of his career at Barcelona, and he would have a chance to relive the same once again.
From Neymar’s point of view, Messi would be reaching 33 this June, and sooner than later, he would have to hang his boots up. It would then be upon the Brazilian to take charge and bask in the limelight that comes with being the lead man of the Barcelona striking force.
