Updated: According to Sky Sports in Germany, Barcelona have made a £90m offer plus two players for Neymar including PSG’s choice of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Malcom, Ivan Rakitic, Nelson Semedo and one additional player.
Barcelona have made a bid for Neymar that includes €40m plus players Coutinho and Rakitic. However, PSG are not interested in anything less than €300m and will give Barca until July 31st to make another bid.
The 27-year-old Brazilian is trying to force a return to the Catalan side where he felt most at home. The Messi, Suarez, and Neymar trio, commonly known as “MSN,” powered Barcelona to the Champions League trophy in 2015, along with three Copa del Reys and two La Liga titles.
“I knew that he wanted to go before the Copa America, but it’s a topic between the club and Neymar,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel earlier this week. “It’s all clear between us, now it’s up to the club and Neymar.”
In early June, PSG’s chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi issued a warning to Neymar to step it up, saying “I want players willing to give everything for the shirt. Those who do not want that, or do not understand, we will see each other and talk. Nobody forced Neymar to sign for us. Nobody pushed him here. He knowingly signed up for this project.”
How will the Neymar showdown with PSG end?
Neymar seems determined to leave Paris, having missed PSG pre-season training and making his exit plea official in talks with sporting director Leonardo Nascimento de Araújo on Monday. The star still has three years left on his monumental contract — he became the world’s most expensive player with his €222 million transfer in the summer of 2017.
With tensions riding high, it’s not certain how Barca can come up with all the cash PSG is demanding especially with the team’s €120 million signing of Antoine Griezmann. What’s also unclear is why Barcelona would want the petulant Brazilian back at the club where he’ll be in the shadow of Messi once again.
Given the tit for tat play between Barcelona and PSG, the Neymar saga is bound to drag on for weeks to come.
