In what is expected to be the biggest transfer coup of the decade, if not of the century, Barcelona’s Brazilian superstar Neymar looks set to join French giants Paris Saint-Germain in a world record transfer this summer. While the statement sounds very straightforward, the transfer proceedings have turned out to be just as complex for the former Santos man to make the shock swith from Catalonia to Paris.

 

The move comes around ten months after Neymar had penned a five-year contract at the Nou Camp; a decision that handed him a release clause of €200 million if an approach was made in his first year. If that approach was made in the second year, then it would be for €222 million. The amount was set to stay at €250 million for the following three years and was largely aimed at keeping Neymar at the club. The Catalans knew that even if any club could match their price, FFP regulations would deter them from signing the superstar.

 

After weeks of speculation and Barcelona players queing up to declare that Neymar was staying, the 26-year-old reported to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Wednesday and many were of the opinion that it would be his final training session at the club. Indeed, Neymar spent around forty minutes there, but didn't train with the club. Barcelona confirmed the same in an official statement too, amidst reports that suggested that he was set to undergo a medical in Qatar within the week. The club also confirmed that the winger had asked to leave the Nou Camp, revealing that PSG will pay the buy-out clause in its entirety. 

 

Neymar’s representative- Wagner Ribeiro, told Sky Italia that they had received an offer from the French club on Wednesday, saying that PSG will look to pay the release clause hours after making the statement. PSG officials were supposed to pay off the clause at the La Liga offices on Wednesday, but after several hours of waiting, no one from the party arrived. The deal dragged onto Thursday, with officials set to hand over the release clause in the La Liga headquarters in Madrid.

 

Amidst all of this, former Barcelona president Joan Laporta accused the current Catalan board of not doing enough to keep Neymar at the club and Spanish league chiefs released a statement saying that they won't accept the €222 million that PSG would offer. They believe that any offer around or close to that amount would bring the FFP rulings into action and prevent the French side from buying the player. 

 

However, PSG and Neymar's representatives did arrive in Madrid to pay off the release clause, but Liga office stood its ground and rejected it. Javier Tebas, a La Liga spokesman, was quoted as saying: "We will not accept the money for the liberation clause, the reason is that we have doubts that this money is in accordance with UEFA Financial Fair Play rules." They believe that their stance is in accordance with the Spanish law and they have its complete backing. Ligue 1 however, released a statement condemning the decision to block the move and have made it public that they are backing PSG to the hilt. If the Spanish league holds its ground, the case will be dragged to the courts. If it accepts the fee, the transfer will go through. 

 

If reports from Mundo Deportivo are to be believed, Neymar will earn around €300 million from acting as an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Qatar. The deal though, is expected to cross €500 million, a figure that will include add ons and all the proposed clauses. 

 

As is evident from how Ander Herrera’s transfer from Athletic Bilbao to Manchester United in 2014, La Liga is very particular about release clauses and protecting Spanish clubs in that regard. In Herrera’s case, the midfielder had to pay off his release clause himself, before heading to Old Trafford. Now the same could happen in Neymar's situation as well and the Brazilian could pay off his clause himself using the €300 million stated above. 

 

It's believed that once the release clause is paid, Neymar will be sign a six-year deal worth €30M-per-year plus bonuses which could see him earn in excess of €40M-a-year

 

The question that has left many confused is how PSG can avoid the FFP ruling in the deal. The above explanation is one way: PSG will pay a year by year fee of either €40 or €50 million to match the asking price. Now that this won't happen, we will need to understand one aspect of the new FFP rulings that apply till the end of the upcoming season. 

 

FFP may have helped many clubs achieve stability through the ruling, allowing for clubs to pay only €5 million more than its income. The new rules allow clubs to increase that limit to about €50 million, with the option of paying it off within a period of three years through either the sale of players or anything else. If that doesn't happen, sanctions will be imposed on the club. 

 

La Liga said that PSG were wrong about portraying their revenues as being more than those of Barcelona and Real Madrid and don't believe the facts that they've put forward. As things stand, the only way of avoiding the ruling will be to reach the €50 million limit and make the most out of selling players. Remember, Unai Emery has already confirmed that Serge Aurier and Grzegorz Krychowiak will be allowed to leave the club this season. 

This evening around 7pm CET, Barcelona put out an official statement that explained that the €222M release clause had been paid by the player's lawyers at their offices and that they will; "pass on to Uefa the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case".

 

Kaustubh Pandey