Why PSG’s £196million Move Could Mark The Beginning Of A New Era After Messi And Ronaldo

This is a transfer rumour that has taken over social media for the last 3 weeks. This rumour is bigger than Pogba’s transfer to Manchester United before it happened and is more shocking than Bonucci’s move to AC Milan. Barcelona’s Brazilian wonder boy Neymar is on the verge of a shock move to the French runners-up Paris Saint-Germain.

This move was originally thought of as a paper talk but the rumour has gained momentum and now the move looks almost nailed down, with a £196million fee being the rumoured price. This not only breaks the transfer record but smashes it by a country mile. Yet, the real question remains – why would Barcelona sell and why would Neymar break up the holy goal scoring trinity of MSN that has proved so successful in recent years?

Who Is Neymar?

Barcelona signed Neymar from Santos on a 5-year contract with the would be Ballon d’Or runner up joining as a striker. While with the Brazilian outfit, Neymar scored 54 goals in 103 appearances. Since joining Santos in 2009, his ability and stock increased exponentially and Barcelona had to beat off interest from several top clubs to secure the skilful striker’s signature.

Joining as a 21-year-old, the forward already had a reputation of being capable of rivaling Messi’s throne, winning the Puskas award in 2011 and winning the award for best player in South America in 2012.

This is reflected in the price Barcelona had to splash to gain his signature, with them forking out £49million for “the future of Brazilian football,” a title in which he has lived up to, dragging a disjointed Brazilian National Side into the Semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup before suffering an almost career ending injury, leaving him out of the 7-1 spanking at the hands of eventual winners Germany. But Neymar later lead Brazil to glory, winning the Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Neymar’s Barcelona Career

Neymar scored his first Barcelona goal in a 7–1 win against a Thailand XI on the 7th of August, little did he know that he would go on to score 68 goals and make 128 appearances for the Spanish side. His shift from a goal-poaching striker to a skilful winger is something to behold. Being shifted out of your favoured position is always tough but Neymar has done exceptionally well.

Arguably, his best period in Barcelona colours came with the inclusion of Luis Suarez, who made his first Barcelona start in January 2015. Though Neymar has not had the goal-scoring exploits of Suarez or the individual accolades of Messi, the winger has been integral to the success of the most feared strike force dubbed the ‘MSN’.

Luis Enrique’s sid ewould not have won the Champions League, La Liga, the Fifa World Cup and the European Super Cup to name a few, without the service from Neymar or Iniesta. In January 2017, MSN had a goal tally of 302 goals combined and it continued with the strike force scoring over 100 goals in the 2016-17 season.

Yet, Neymar really thrived in Messi’s absence, when the Argentine suffered a groin injury in September 2016, ruling him out for half of the season. Neymar thrived being the main man, gaining countless rave reviews and loving life, becoming Barcelona’s main man in Messi’s absence.

While he has done really well at Barcelona, Neymar will always be overshadowed by his two goal-scoring counterparts and this may have driven him to move to another side in which he would be the main man and not be overlooked in favour of Messi or Suarez.

Neymar To PSG?

Neymar’s move to PSG would see the transfer record previously set by French man Paul Pogba’s move back to Manchester United for £89million, smashed. Neymar’s transfer, however, also would breach Financial Fair play and is the biggest stumbling block in the deal. However, it has been reported that the Brazilian would be given a total of £270million by Qatar Sports Investment group to pay off his own buy-out clause and become the 2022 World Cup ambassador. This loop hole in FIFA regulations means that Neymar could secure his move to greener shores and PSG could stay within the financial fair play.

This transfer would also see Neymar be the main man at PSG. With the once French Champions dethroned by the youthful Monaco spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe they need to spend on new talent and do so wisely. The Parisians also have the desire to compete in the Champions League – a feat which they don’t look like completing without Champions League proven talent. Neymar, who was the conduit for Barcelona’s incredible comeback against the Parisians to continue in the Champions League is a fantastic buy.

Paris Saint-Germain’s manager Unai Emery really has to win the Champions League this season to keep his job. Winning Ligue1 is the minimum requirement for a PSG manager and Emery has not achieved it. It is not just enough anymore. Just ask former manager Laurent Blanc. On another note, Neymar is one of the most marketable athletes in the world and it is apparent from the fact that he recently appeared in the movie xXx Return of Xander Cage and getting his own signature boot deal with Nike. Neymar is a big name (and a quality player) who would sell a lot of shirts for PSG, making him a good acquisition commercially as well.

The deal looks likely, with the Ballon d’Or nominee always wanting to be the main man and at PSG, he would not only be the main man in Paris but also in Ligue 1. He is a close friend of fellow Brazilian Dani Alves who joined PSG on a free transfer earlier this summer.

In addition, this deal could mean Veratti going the opposite way as Barcelona have been constantly linked with the Italian Metronome to bolster their ageing midfield. Neymar’s deal could mean the two clubs wanting to do business again and Veratti could be included in the package to get the Brazilian, which would benefit both parties.

Neymar’s story has been an interesting one; turning down West Ham to eventually sign for Barcelona, rejecting Real Madrid in the process, taken under Lionel Messi’s wing forming an integral part of MSN which was labelled as possibly as the best strike force of all time. Now he looks like he is set to join the Parisians as Emery sets to rebuild his reputation and save his job.

Neymar’s £196million move would certainly mean football has gone mad with ludicrous price tags and mega money contracts looking like the norm these days. But at 25 years-old, he is an investment for the long-term and could be the launch pad for his attack on the Ballon d’Or monopoly that has been dominated by Messi and Ronaldo over the last few years. Neymar is the shepherd to lead a promising Brazilian team to international glory and he may feel like he has to be the main man at a club to do so. Paris Saint-Germain offers the chance for that and they seem like the only club who can give that to him, with their financial might very well known to the football world.

It is a good deal by all means.