After a last ditch attempt by Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu to convince the Brazilian to stay, Neymar has agreed to terms for a move to Paris St Germain for £196 million.
Bartomeu held a 15-minute meeting with Neymar at Barca's New Jersey training camp in a vain attempt to get the Brazilian to have a change of heart. However, it was clear afterward that Bartomeu was less than happy with the outcome.
Neymar on the move
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Neymar's decision to move has caught the Spanish giants on the back foot. They are used to empty threats to leave from their number 11, but in general, the threats are thinly disguised demands for a raise in wages.
What could certainly be seen as a sticking point is that last season, after flirting with several clubs, Neymar agreed a new contract with Barcelona that keeps him at the club till 2021 with a buy out clause of a staggering £222 million.
How can PSG afford this?
Paris St Germain is a wealthy club, of that there is no doubt. But, they are currently not even in the top 10 of most wealthy clubs in the world. Manchester United and Barcelona are both worth in excess of £3 billion and are seen as global brands. It is inconceivable that PSG could afford to pay the Spanish giants the whole transfer fee.
What is more likely is that an initial deposit will be paid and further payments made over an agreed period until the full fee is settled.
In the meantime, PSG will in effect 'own' a particularly marketable commodity in the Brazilian star. He will generate funds from commercial endorsements and additional sponsorships. For example, in 2016-17 in addition to a hefty salary of £11.5 million, he earned £17 million from deals with Nike, Gillette, Panasonic and Beats by Dr.
Dre. In today's image conscious game, teams are not only buying a player to guarantee success but they are also buying into the player's "image rights" and when a player is someone as marketable as Neymar then those rights are priceless.
Fitting in with FFP
In order to comply with strict guidelines set up in 2014 to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, PSG are not allowed to spend more on transfers than their budget allows.
Obviously, £222 million is a sizeable amount and added into that are the transfers of Dani Alves and Yuri Berchiche to the French club. There needs to some outward movement as well to balance the books effectively or the club will face huge fines from UEFA.
What next for Barca?
If Neymar does move this will leave them with the strike force of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, a pairing that would be the envy of just about any other team in the world. But for Barcelona, Neymar needs to be replaced. There is talk of approaching Juventus' Paulo Dybala or Monaco's teenage talent Kylian Mbappe. Whatever happens, when a club like Barcelona come calling there will surely be no shortage of candidates.
