It is often said that there is no smoke without fire. Going by this, I think Neymar will leave Barcelona in the near future. The Brazilian star has constantly been linked with moves to both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, but it is the French club in particular who have been persistent in their pursuit to sign the player. Something must be giving the French club hope that they have a chance of signing Neymar.
The presence of a release clause in Neymar’s contract, a reported £173 million, means Barcelona have a chance of losing the South American should any club come in and trigger the release clause, should the player agree to a move. Although I strongly believe that should Neymar leave Barcelona, he will choose PSG. Spanish media outlet Sport however claim Manchester United have been talking to the player’s agent.
The talks, according to Sport (as reported by The Sun) have been positive. The club reckons they have a chance of signing the Brazilian and are not bothered about Neymar’s hefty release clause. In fact, Sport claim Manchester United will trigger the release clause and are ready to make Neymar the best paid player in the Premier league by offering him a staggering £416,000-a-week deal.
I am not conversant with the Spanish press but I reckon Sport are a pro-Barcelona media outlet and if they are, they should know something about their club’s players. Also, it could well be that Sport are working to help Real Madrid destabilise a key Barca player. Marca does it for Real Madrid often. I wouldn’t put such a thing past Real Madrid.
However, if the report is true, Neymar will be a massive signing for Manchester United. Only the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo could be bigger for the Red Devils. And the good thing is, United are one of the few clubs in the world who have the financial capacity to pull off such a deal. Money certainly won’t be an issue here. The only real issue will be whether or not Neymar wants to move to England.
The signing of the Brazilian would not only boost Manchester United’s chances of winning the Premier League next season, it would also boost their chances in the Champions League, should they qualify.
On paper, £173 million and a contract offer of £416,000-a-week looks very big, but shirt sales and the sales of other merchandise, Neymar’s image rights e.t.c. should help United to recoup some their investment in him in a short period of time. This is aside the success on the pitch his signing will likely bring.
And should such a deal happen, it would be a massive boost for the image of the Premier League. The likes of BeIN Sport, Sky Ssports and other sponsors of the Premier League would certainly like to see this deal happen for financial reasons.
Will it happen? Time will tell.
