Conflicting reports on Neymar negotiations between Barcelona, PSG
Neymar is about to rejoin Barcelona. Or Barca refused Paris Saint-Germain’s offer this week.
Which do you believe?
Those are the chief reports out of Europe, where everyone seems to agree PSG has asked for $143 million plus permanent signings of Ivan Rakitic and Jean-Clair Todibo, and also Ousmane Dembele on loan.
Sky Sports Italy’s Gianluca Di Marzio claims an agreement has been reached and the deal will be finalized “in the next few hours”, while ESPN says Barcelona has rejected that offer and will not return with another bid.
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That haul would carry Neymar’s price tag north of $200 million, with Rakitic a veteran midfield presence, Todibo a promising midfield prospect and Dembele a dangerous winger at his best. (However, all three players have reportedly rejected the idea of a move to Paris anyway.)
It would still fall well short of the world record $263 million PSG paid for Neymar two years ago. But it would represent a good return for a player who’s proven unable to stay healthy or lift PSG to the Champions League heights it wants to hit.
The French giants have already reportedly turned down one big offer from Barcelona for Neymar, and reportedly rejected another from Real Madrid last week. The framework of a deal has taken on several iterations, and the most recent appears to be to PSG’s liking, but not Barca’s.
Then again, this is La Liga, which is fueled heavily by Barcelona and Real Madrid’s eternal need to get the best of each other. So that could force Barca’s hand.
The summer transfer window closes on Monday at 7 p.m. ET for both Spain and France. Buckle up.
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