Neymar still has more than two years to go on his deal with Paris Saint-Germain, but the speculations are just not going away - that the Brazilian superstar is plotting to move out of Parc des Princes and return to Camp Nou. The transfer can happen as early as summer, but it promises to be a convoluted route.
In time for the summer transfer window, Neymar can trigger a move out that enables him to unilaterally terminate his contract with PSG, estimated to be worth €73.6million in the last two years. The trick is for the former Barca striker to make use of a FIFA clause that will terminate his agreement with the Paris club provided he will send notice of 15 days.
Since Neymar would have spent three years with PSG in a few months and he was under 28 when the deal with his current club was signed, the Daily Record said he is eligible to take advantage of the FIFA solution that was introduced in 2001.
The use of the provision had precedents, namely the Webster Ruling and the Matuzalém Case. The former touched on an example in Scotland that favored the transfer of the player with minimal damage cost. The latter was of similar circumstances, but the conclusion saw the club that held the rights to the player awarded with millions in compensation.
In short, the FIFA provision is a tool for players to walk away on the last two years of a five-year deal. One thing is sure, a player can surely make the transfer move given appropriate situation, but there will be a price to pay.
Before the Matuzalém Case, using the clause favors the player as the Webster Ruling only mandated a small payment that the transferring player had to shoulder. But in the case of the Matuzalém dispute, the total compensation amounted to millions.
That is why Forbes said Neymar depending on this FIFA provision to get away from PSG and play again for Barcelona could prove unwise. To put it simply, it will be a crazy move on the part of Neymar and the destination team.
To be sure, PSG will not take the development sitting down and the club is sure to use the legal means that will make life difficult for the Brazilian star. And the same applies to Barcelona if the club turns out to be part of the maneuver.
"If Neymar and Barcelona do decide to trigger the termination of the player's deal with PSG without cause, the affair could take years to settle and at a cost that nobody can predict," the report said.
The risk is just too high to use this kind of solution. While purchasing Neymar from PSG could be expensive, the process at least will be free from undue complications, which is something for Barcelona that reportedly will want to bring the Brazilian back to Spain.
