Barcelona are doing everything they can to try to prevent Neymar from signing for Paris Saint-Germain, and it’s easy to understand why.
The Brazilian forward is among the best players in the world and has enjoyed an immense pre-season, despite all of the speculation surrounding his future.
But PSG are ready to pay Neymar’s £197 million release clause and the 25-year-old hasn’t yet rejected the move.
And last week’s training ground scuffle with Nelson Semedo only served to intensify the reports that he wants out.
There are reports that the Spanish giants could launch a complaint over financial fair play, to which PSG were warned by a UEFA spokesman about the impact any move for Neymar would have on their finances.
“We haven’t received any complaint regarding this matter but, irrespective of whether we receive a complaint or not, we would in any case look into the details of such a transfer if it goes ahead to ensure that it respects financial fair play rules,” the spokesman said, per The Guardian.
“PSG must respect financial fair play rules as do all other clubs in Europe. They must demonstrate that they do not have losses of more than €30m over three years.
“The impact of a potential transfer of Neymar to PSG would have an effect on the club finances over several years. It is very difficult to judge this type of operation in advance as we do not know the plans of the French club.
“They could well sell a few players for a similar or even superior amount. We shall therefore only make calculations at the end and make sure that they respect the rules.”
When PSG expect Neymar to sign
PSG’s season gets underway on Saturday and, although they won’t rush any details of the transfer, they could be unveiling Neymar pretty soon.
According to L’Equipe, the Brazilian will undergo a medical this weekend and will sign his contract with the Parisiens next Monday.
It’s only due to a hectic schedule that is preventing Neymar from signing for PSG sooner. He arrived in China on Monday to fulfil commercial commitments for one of Barça’s sponsors.
In response to any concerns about financial fair play, PSG have a number of players they could sell in order to balance the books.
According to The Guardian, they are willing to get rid of Angel di Maria, worth £45m, and the £20m-rated Serge Aurier.
Blaise Matuidi, Hatem Ben Arfa, Ese and Grzegorz Krychowiak could also depart to make way for Neymar.