Barcelona and PSG are already negotiating over the transfer of Neymar. Both sides are searching for a positive solution in which each party feels they’ve got the better end of the deal. Barça have spoken to the French club via intermediaries due to the bad relationship between the two teams. Pini Zahavi and Kia Joorabchian have been key in these conversations and have close ties to either side.
PSG immediately put a €300m price tag on Neymar’s head, a fee which would earn then a nearly €80m profit. The plan is to start off high and eventually negotiate down to a fee which both teams are happy with. However the Catalan giants are aware that Neymar’s value and overall standing in football has dropped since he made the move out there.
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Barcelona have given their first response to PSG. Josep Maria Bartomeu told them he wouldn’t go anywhere near that initial asking price but, at the same time, displayed a willingness to negotiate further. Barça are aware that to afford the transfer they would first need to move on some of the more recognisable names at the club:
1. To reduce the overall wage budget at the club which, right now, is very high
2. To generate more funds in order to fund a deal for Neymar
3. To clear out the dressing room of those not needed next season
Barcelona decided at the end of the season than an overhaul of the squad was needed. Rakitic, Coutinho and Umtiti are perhaps the biggest names on the ‘available for the right price’ list. Due to the need to move on those players first, Barça’s offer to PSG was €100m plus Coutinho.
Umtiti and Rakitic were also mentioned as possible alternatives that the French club must consider. Any player included would also bring down the asking price to a more accessible sum. This is how things stand at the moment between Barcelona and PSG. Both sides have expressed an openness to finding a solution and there are various offers and combinations on the table which might see things move forward quickly. Two aspects which are key in these talks are: PSG don’t want Neymar to stay. PSG are interested in Coutinho.
For now it’s a question of waiting to see how the negotiations progress. According to SPORT sources, the talks have started well and there’s a positive feeling a deal will be struck.