After telling Barcelona yesterday he wanted to leave, Neymar got his wish as Barcelona accepted the buyout payment from PSG (Paris St-Germain).
The buyout clause of €222 million euros was paid by Neymar’s lawyers and the transaction was not without controversy. Citing violation of Financial Fair Play rules, La Liga initially rejected the payment but now has decided to accept it but under the condition UEFA investigates the transaction.
In fact, La Liga President Javier Tebas has accused PSG of “financial doping.”
Barcelona statement:
“On Thursday afternoon Neymar’s lawyers visited the club’s offices and made the payment of €222 million euros (in the player’s name) with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties.”
Barcelona then reiterated that it will “pass on to UEFA the details of the operation so that they can determine any disciplinary action that may arise from this case”.
The 25 year-old Brazilian international will now be out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and become the focal point of the Paris based club.
Given the impact of such a deal, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the rules will be changed in the future should any concern arise about how FFP may have been circumvented, particularly when a club is owned by a club with the backing of the state.
