Neymar is demanding five-times his current wage at Barcelona

by Scott Wilson
Senior Writer

Published 2 years ago Add your comment

Football Leaks opened up a huge can of worms when they disclosed Neymar’s contract at Barcelona.

Fans went wild after finding out that the 24-year-old earns £77,000-per-week - less than Jonjo Shelvey earns at relegation-threatened Newcastle United - and that the winger has a release clause of £153 million.

But Neymar has reportedly threatened to break up the incredible ‘MSN’ partnership by requesting his yearly salary be increased by five times the current amount.

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That is according to Spanish publication AS. Neymar signed a contract with Barcelona in 2013 that would see him earn €45.9m by the end of the five-year deal. Apparently, he wants to make that much each year.

With Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi both earning north of £200,000-a-week, Neymar’s demands have left president Josep Maria Bartomeu scrambling to find the cash to keep his star trio together.

Bartomeu is working around the clock to keep Neymar around, negotiating a new shirt sponsorship deal, renewing the club’s contract with Nike and offering the naming rights for the Camp Nou.

The AS report ends with the claim: “Money might tear this brilliant Barcelona team apart.”

Clause-filled contract

Neymar’s contract includes several clauses that enable him to earn much more than his basic £77,000 weekly wage.

If he wins the Ballon d’Or during his time in Spain, he will earn an extra £340,375, according to the Daily Mail.

Should he feature in 60 per cent of matches, Barcelona will pay him an additional £850,867.

There are also incentives for Neymar to help the Catalan outfit win the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey. If Barca win all three this season, Neymar will make over £1.8m.

So, though Shelvey’s wages might be higher, his contract with Newcastle certainly doesn’t include as many lucrative clauses.

Those such clauses won’t come cheap and if Barca are unable to stump up the costs to meet Neymar’s contract demands, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United - all of whom have been linked with the Brazil captain - will be on high alert.

Neymar is prohibited from skiing

Barcelona want the former Santos star to stay out of trouble while he represents the prestigious club

The Football Leaks report states that Neymar has been prohibited from riding motorbikes, going paragliding, skiing or climbing.

He must also, “refrain from carrying out acts that entail risking amounts of money or economically assessable objects in the form of betting or wagering on the outcome of competitions and sporting events, official or not, involving FC Barcelona," per Sport.

But he’s been encouraged to immerse himself in the Spanish region’s culture, Barca asking him to “make a big effort to integrate into Catalan society, respecting and assuming the cultural values, especially in learning the Catalan language, a fundamental vehicle for the mentioned integration.”