Barcelona have been following Neymar since last summer and it’s very evident that they want him to return this summer. Senior players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez have publicly displayed their desire towards the return of the superstar forward.
The Catalan club have already prepared their plan for the summer. Along with Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez, they will also try to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou. According to Mundo Deportivo journalist Fernando Polo, Barcelona want to negotiate with Paris Saint-Germain just like they did last summer. They want to use the traditional method of getting Neymar back. Another method that can come into operation is FIFA’s Article 17. The article states that the player can terminate his own contract once the protected period is over. The protected period is for players who have been part of the club for three years. This is only applicable to players aged 28 or over.
Once the season is over, Neymar has the chance to terminate his own contract at the club. As there are no release clauses in France, FIFA comes into action and decides the release clause, which isn’t known yet. The forecast from lawyers within the club is that Neymar’s return will come at a cost of less than €180m.
Barcelona, as of today, will resort to their plan, which is to formally negotiate with PSG over Neymar. PSG know Barcelona’s desire to get Neymar back and they also know that Neymar wants to return to his former club. Last summer, Barcelona tried to get Neymar but according to Messi, he feels that the club didn’t try hard enough to lure the Brazilian.
Last summer, Barça negotiated with PSG for Neymar in a deal involving players. Nélson Semedo was a player who was liked by the Parisien Side, although at the time the full-back was considered as untransferrable which isn’t the case this time round. This summer, Barcelona could go for the same procedure and include players so that the value drops. ESPN’s Julien Laurens has said that PSG will be listening to offers for Neymar. If Barcelona find the right amount of money, for example, €150m, then an agreement could be reached. The situation right now is that Barcelona want both Lautaro and Neymar, and one way they’re planning on doing that is by offloading some players from their current squad.
