Neymar's PSG Release Clause Reportedly Valid for 2020 Amid Barcelona Rumours
Neymar's deal with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly contains a €215 million release clause that won't become active until 2020, so Barcelona or any other interest team will have to negotiate with the French champions if they want to land him before then.
According to Tomas Andreu of Catalan outlet Sport, recent reports the Brazilian wants to return to the Camp Nou assumed the clause could come into play as early as January, but that information is incorrect.
Fellow Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported the Brazilian is eyeing a return to Barcelona just over a year after leaving the club, via the Spanish Football Podcast:
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Sport's Patricia Martinez reported Les Parisiens have already identified a replacement should he leave, with Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann tipped to move to his homeland.
Neymar completed a shock move to the French capital last summer and became an instant hit for PSG, scoring 19 goals in just 20 Ligue 1 appearances. He suffered an injury in the second half of the season that prevented him from playing a role in the second leg of their Champions League exit against Real Madrid.
The two parties had an ugly breakup and are still scheduled to meet in court, per Santi Gimenez of AS.
The legal concerns add to the difficulties surrounding a reunion. The Telegraph's Sam Wallace recently took a look at the club's finances and concluded the Catalans didn't appear to have the budget to add Manchester United's Paul Pogba, and Neymar would likely be even more expensive:
The reported clause of €215 million would be slightly less than the fee PSG paid for Neymar last year. In all likelihood Les Parisiens would hold out for a significantly higher fee if a club tried to pry him away before the clause becomes active.
It's worth noting PSG's finances aren't exactly rosy, either. Per the Press Association (for the Guardian) UEFA reopened its financial fair play investigation into the club last month.
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have combined to fire PSG to a perfect start in Ligue 1, with nine wins out of nine. Both have scored eight goals for a shared lead in the top scorer's race.
