Neymar’s move could inflate transfer costs
Brazilian forward Neymar is set to move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a world record deal worth 222 million euros.
It is a figure that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon, and is expected have a lasting effect on European football.
The record transfer is likely to have three-fold ramifications – financial, political and the footballing dynamics at PSG and elsewhere.
The most talked about aspect of Neymar’s transfer will undoubtedly be the fee paid for him to Barcelona. The overall cost of the transfer will, however, be much higher than the 222 million euros that will go towards the player’s release clause.
As per some of the reported estimates, Neymar will be signing a five-year contract which will earn him an after-tax salary of 575,000 euros per week. Bonuses and wages will take the total cost of the deal to around 500 million euros over five years.
A deal of such proportion is likely to have major repercussions on the transfer market. A transfer worth over 200 million euros may beef up player prices in a market that has witnessed high inflation in recent times.
This will put a number of clubs, including Barcelona, who will be looking to replace Neymar with someone like Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool, at a major disadvantage.
“I think he’s expensive in the fact that now you are going to have more players at 100 million pounds, you are going have more players at 80 million and more players at 60 million. And I think that’s the problem,” Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho summed up the clubs’ dilemma in a press conference on
Wednesday.
Oryx Qatar
Sports Investments (QSi), a wing Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, had bought PSG in 2012.
Despite a number of high-profile signings over the years, the acquisition of Neymar will undoubtedly trump all the other signings in the club’s history. Given the current embargo on Qatar by four gulf countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, Neymar’s signing bears even greater significance.
With the country’s economy taking a hit following the diplomatic crisis, Neymar’s signing is being seen in many circles as Qatar flexing its financial and political muscles. The most important aspect of the transfer, however, is how it will alter the footballing dynamics at PSG, as well as at other clubs. Many see Neymar’s move from Barcelona to PSG as a downward step.
The Brazilian thrived in a front three partnership at the Catalan club, alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, scoring 105 goals in 186 appearances over the course of four seasons.
However, given his own stature, it is plausible that Neymar may see the transfer as a way of stepping away from Messi’s shadow and cementing his own brand as a global football icon.
At PSG, Neymar will undoubtedly be the club’s biggest star. The transfer will embolden PSG’s quest for a Champions League title, while the player will hope that success in Europe will propel him to the Ballon d’Or honour.
Neymar’s move, however, could cause a domino effect in the European transfer market, with Barcelona, already aiming to counter the dominance of arch-rivals Real Madrid, almost certain to reinvest the Neymar fee on a big-name replacement like Coutinho.
US Open winner HS Prannoy continued his golden run as he went past 10-seeded Wei Nan of Hong Kong to enter the quarter-finals of the ongoing New Zealand Grand Prix Gold in Auckland on Thursday.
Fourth seed Prannoy defeated Nan 21-18, 21-19 in the last-16 contest that lasted for 46 minutes.
On the other hand, India’s Sourabh Verma defeated Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap to make it to the last-eight of the tournament.
Verma defeated Kashyap 21-18, 13-21, 21-16 in 64 minutes. Another Indian shuttler Siril Verma lost 13-21, 14-21 against Chia Hung Lu of Chinese Taipei in just 38 minutes.