Tug of war
> Neymar in China as transfer rumours grow
NEYMAR GREETED fans in Shanghai yesterday as speculation mounted that the Brazil star could be set to quit Barcelona for Paris SaintGermain for a world-record € 222 million (RM1.2b)
The 25-year-old striker is at the centre of an apparent tug of war between the two European giants in what would be the most expensive transfer fee in football history.
A training spat with new Barcelona signing Nelson Semedo during a pre-season tour in Miami ramped up chatter that Neymar could be about to swap Spain for the French capital.
Neymar, who has remained tight-lipped about the transfer rumours, posted a message for Chinese fans on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, after arriving for a promotional visit.
“Ni Hao China! I’m Neymar Jr and I’ve just arrived in China,” he wrote yesterday.
“I’m in Shanghai at the moment. I would like to send a huge hug to all my Chinese fans, thank you very much for your support.”
He posted messages in English and Chinese and asked for suggestions as to what he should do while in Shanghai.
Separately, China’s biggest online travel company Ctrip had said it was cancelling an event with Neymar in Shanghai because he and his advisers were “busy with transfer issues”.
People close to the player subsequently told media there had never been an arrangement with the firm.
Even after the training-ground bust-up in the United States, after which Neymar appeared to storm off, his Barcelona teammates said they wanted him to stay at the Camp Nou.
“Neymar and I, we are very close and I want him to stay and I know the situation,” defender Gerard Pique told ESPN FC.
PSG’s pursuit of Neymar has angered some in Spain, where football league chief Javier Tebas says he will file a complaint with UEFA for financial fair play breaches by the French club.
The deal is expected to be formalised this week after reports suggested his father was holding up the deal in order to earn a huge chunk of commission.
The Brazilian superstar signed a new contract with the Nou Camp club last October, for which Neymar Santos Snr earned £23 million (RM127m), for helping persuade his son commit his future to Barca.
However, according to The Sunday Times, that commission was only due to be paid yesterday (July 31), and that the obligation for Barca to pay it would have been null and void had the player left before that date.
Neymar has been linked with a move to PSG all summer with the French side willing to pay his £198 million (RM1.1b) release clause and give him a contract in the region of £55 million (RM303m) a year.
Neymar’s father would also receive a hefty sum of commission from that deal too – likely to be around 10% of the transfer fee.
Barcelona return from their preseason tour of the United States next week, with the Catalans turning their attentions to signing Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho for around £80 million (RM440m).
The Reds are adamant they will not sell the forward but The Independent revealed this week that the Brazilian’s camp believe there is a “70%” chance of the deal happening if Neymar does complete his move to Paris. – The Independent & AFP