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With just over six weeks left in the ongoing transfer window, Barcelona find themselves in the unfamiliar position of having not completed most of their transfer dealings.
This goes in contrast with the situation at LaLiga rivals Real Madrid and Atletico, who have finalized deals for the majority of their transfer targets and are almost good to go ahead of next season.
The Catalans have been linked with a number of players including Antoine Griezmann, Neymar and Matthijs de Ligt. But rather frustratingly for their fans, nothing tangible has come out of said speculations, with Frenkie de Jong and goalkeeper Neto being the only senior arrivals so far.
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One name which has gained more traction than others in recent weeks as a potential arrival at Nou Camp is that of Neymar, as the Brazilian international stoked the embers of speculation with his claim that he wants to return ‘home’ to Catalunya.
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Senior players at the club have explicitly given their approval for the transfer and Barcelona are reportedly in talks to push through the move.
While there are a number of plausible reasons why Barcelona should go all out for Neymar, it might be in their best interest to refrain from signing their former star. In this piece, we shall be highlighting four reasons why Barcelona should not re-sign Neymar.
#3 The high financial costs involved
When Neymar signed a contract extension with Barcelona in October 2016, one of the clauses in the deal contained a release clause for the whopping sum of €222m.
The Catalans must have put that figure in the hopes that it would dissuade would-be buyers from enquiring about Neymar, but less than a year later later, PSG activated the release clause, making the Brazilian international the most expensive player of all time.
If they are to sell him, it is safe to say that the Ligue 1 champions would be keen to recoup every penny they expended on their prized asset and indications have emerged that they have set a transfer value of €225m on Neymar.
Barcelona are reportedly unwilling to match that figure but any transfer involving Neymar would ostensibly be completed for sums in excess of €150 million.
This is an extremely huge amount to be expended, especially considering that the club are reportedly considering activating Antoine Griezmann's release clause for the sum of €120m.
Beyond his transfer fee, Neymar would also not come cheaply in terms of his remuneration, as the 27-year-old is currently paid the staggering sum of £650,000 every week at PSG.
This puts him almost on par with Messi as the highest paid player in the world and while he might have to take a pay cut to join the Blaugrana, a weekly pay of £300,000 or more could presumably be within reason for Neymar to earn if he arrives Barcelona which would significantly increase the club’s wage bill which is currently the highest in the world.
This means that any deal to bring Neymar over to Barcelona could potentially cost the Catalans in excess of 200m to cover both transfer fees and weekly wages and in light of the huge financial cost it would take to sign him, Barcelona would be best advised to refrain from proceeding with his purchase.
#2 His recent injury concerns
In the last two years, injuries have not been kind to Neymar, as a recurring ankle problem has hampered his career and ruled him out of crunch stages of major competitions.
The first major injury of his PSG spell came when he pulled up with a Metatarsal Fracture during the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 clash with Real Madrid in march 2018. This saw him miss the second leg of the tie, as PSG got eliminated.
There was another foot injury in spring of 2019 and this once again saw him ruled out as PSG got dumped out of the Champions League by Manchester United, while he has also suffered numerous other minor injuries since the start of the 2017/2018 season.
His latest setback came last month just a few days to the kickoff of the 2019 Copa America on home soil, with a ruptured ankle ligament ruling him out as Brazil won the continental trophy for the first time since 2007.
In total, Neymar has been ruled out for eight-and-half months and missed 50 matches in the last two years due to injury and given his recent record, it might not be in Barcelona’s best interests to sign him.
#1 His performance levels have significantly dropped in recent years
When Neymar departed Barcelona in 2017, he left with a reputation of being one of the very best players in the world, with many rating him just beneath the unstoppable duo of Ronaldo and Messi and his two Ballon d’Or podium finishes served as proof of his esteem.
It was believed that his arrival at PSG would boost his standing and give him a better shot at Ballon d’Or glory, as it offered an opportunity to be the main man at a club.
However it is safe to say that things have not exactly worked out to plan for him, as despite starring to some extent in PSG’s consecutive league triumphs, but with all due respect to the Ligue 1, it is not rated too highly in the grand scheme of things in European football.
No matter what Neymar did in the French league, he was always going to be judged by his performances on the continental stage, but rather unfortunately, injury troubles conspired to rob him off the chance to shine in the knockout rounds in two consecutive seasons.
On the biggest stage where he had an opportunity to right the wrongs, Neymar faltered massively, gaining negative press for his theatrics and subpar performances as Brazil got knocked out of the quarterfinal of the World Cup while an injury also ruled him out of Brazil’s triumph at the 2019 Copa America.
The Brazilian international has fallen some way off his previous heights and ws not even included in the top 10 nominees for last year's Ballon d'Or, while it can be argued that Kylian Mbappe has overtaken him as PSG's most important player.
While Neymar might still be a decent player in his own right, his injury problems and dip in performance levels over the last two years means that Barcelona might not be signing the player they sold and as such they should steer clear of bringing him back.
