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As the world holds its breath, Neymar Jr. is on the verge of making a widely publicized move to Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, for a whopping £196 million.
The deal would not only see records tumble, but also widespread unrest among the Catalan fans, at least until Barcelona sign a suitable replacement.
Ernesto Valverde will be desperate to replace the flamboyant striker at the soonest and is said to have assembled a list of potential replacements.
There exists little doubt that the player chosen to replace Neymar will be of the utmost quality, capable of fitting into the spot left vacant by the departing Brazilian.
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While some of the world's top footballers have been named in the media as an ideal replacement, some outrageous links have been made as well.
Here are 5 players who have outrageously been suggested as a potential replacement for Neymar.
#5 Alexis Sanchez
The Arsenal striker has publicly revealed his desire to leave the club and has since been linked with several clubs across Europe. The Chilean joined Arsenal in 2014, and has scored 72 times from 145 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions.
Sanchez's 3rd season at the Emirates saw the English side suffer their worst league finish in over two decades, ending 5th in the table and subsequently losing their spot in the UEFA Champions League.
The 28-year-old is growing increasingly frustrated at Arsenal and has been linked with moves to Manchester City and Bayern Munich. However, talks with both clubs seem to have broken down and Barcelona have emerged as a potential destination.
Sanchez was a Barcelona player for three seasons before moving to Arsenal in search of first team football. With Neymar gone, Sanchez might just contemplate a move back to his former club, where he is guaranteed not just to start, but to also compete for the Champions League trophy.
#4 Anthony Martial
The Manchester United striker is as promising as a player can be. Martial, 21, holds a number of records, including the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager, when he moved to Manchester United from Monaco for a fee of £36 million just two seasons ago.
Since his arrival at Old Trafford, Martial has been impressive, albeit inconsistent. The Frenchman has drifted in and out of the first team throughout his time at Manchester and hasn't quite lived up to the hype that surrounds him.
The former Golden Boy Award winner has displayed his brilliance in patches, but will hope to break in and cement his spot in the Red Devils' first team in the upcoming season.
The striker has reportedly been on Inter Milan's radar this summer with many suggesting that he could trade Old Trafford for San Siro. Neymar's departure from Barcelona, however, has generated speculation that the 21-year-old Martial could move to Barcelona instead, in a bid to fill Neymar's shoes.
While Martial may be an exquisite talent, he is still a long way away from reaching Neymar's level. His raw talent is yet to be fully tapped and the player himself is keen to stay in Manchester and fight for his place in the main team.
Barcelona require a world-class player who can hit the ground running immediately and cannot possibly consider someone who hasn't even cemented his place in Manchester.
#3 Riyad Mahrez
The Leicester City winger rose to prominence in the 2015-16 season when he helped the underdog club lift the Premier League trophy.
The Algerian scored 18 goals and assisted several more from 39 appearances for the Foxes in that season, as Leicester City shocked the world by picking up the coveted trophy.
Unfortunately, neither Leicester City nor Mahrez could replicate their success in the following season, with the club finishing the league placed 12th, despite decent performances in the UEFA Champions League.
Mahrez publicly revealed his desire to exit the club, and has been linked with clubs like Roma and Arsenal. However, reports in the media seem to suggest that the Algerian could instead move to Barcelona and replace Neymar.
While the winger is supremely talented, he has struggled to find suitors within England itself and is nowhere close to Neymar's quality. Further, the winger plies his trade down the right flank, which belongs to Barcelona's own demigod, Lionel Messi.
Should Barcelona sign him, it will certainly be a step backwards.
#2 Ivan Perisic
The Inter Milan winger has been subject to intense transfer rumours linking him with a move to English side Manchester United this window, with Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho said to be fond of the Croatian.
The 28-year-old is capable of playing on either wing and can deliver pin-point crosses into the box. Manchester United, who at one point had allegedly almost secured him, are now believed to have cooled their interest in Perisic.
Lately, reports have emerged that the winger is on Barcelona's radar as an alternative to Neymar, with the Catalan side reported to be monitoring the Croatian.
Perisic moved to Inter Milan two seasons ago, scoring a total of 20 goals in 79 matches for the Italian giants. While his numbers and skills are impressive, it would be futile to compare him to Neymar, let alone expect him to replace the Brazilian.
Manchester United may have cooled their interest, but Perisic is far more likely to join the English side than Barcelona.
#1 Thomas Lemar
The Monaco midfielder took the world by storm last season when he helped the side lift the Ligue 1 title over top contenders, Paris Saint-Germain. The versatile midfielder scored 14 goals in all competitions last season.
Lemar moved to Monaco two seasons ago and has since become a household name in France. A string of impressive performances put the youngster on Arsenal's radar with Arsene Wenger reportedly making him his #1 target.
Monaco, having already lost a few of their title winning players, are stubbornly trying to retain their player and have rejected multiple bids from Arsenal.
The versatile midfielder is also the subject of outrageous rumours that suggest that Barcelona might call upon the 21-year-old to replace Neymar.
Despite Lemar's ability to play on both wings as well as through the centre, he is light years behind Neymar in terms of refined skill, and cannot possibly fill in the ginormous void left behind by the Brazilian.
To conclude,
These five world-class players are undoubtedly talented and might even move away from their respective clubs in this transfer window. However, these are just outrageous rumours and it is extremely unlikely that any of them will be recruited by Barcelona to replace Neymar, who is leagues ahead in terms of skill.
