End of the story between Neymar and Barça? In any case, the judgment rendered Friday, June 19, is an additional stumbling block in this case, which poisons the relations between "Ney" and Barça since his resounding departure to Paris in 2017.

Spanish justice dismissed the PSG attacker, who claimed 43.6 million euros in uncollected premium and ordered him to reimburse 6.79 million euros to his ex-club, complicating the hypothesis of a return of the Brazilian to Barcelona.

The idea of ​​seeing Neymar in Catalonia has been agitating each transfer market for three years, but the judicial time is not that of the transfer window, and today, the distance is widening between the two protagonists.  

By putting an end to his Barcelona contract before the end of the latter, Neymar "did not have the right to touch the sum" which he asked for, and "will have to reimburse the club the perceived excess of the bonus of extension have terminated his contract without justification, "ruled a Barcelona court in its judgment on Friday.

At the time of his transfer to Paris for the record amount of 222 million euros, Neymar had initiated proceedings to obtain the full payment by Barça of an extension premium of 64.4 million euros before taxes, but the court rejected his request on Friday.

Neymar yet close to a return to Barça in 2019

This case further complicates the scenario of a possible return of "Ney", 28, to Barcelona, ​​where he stayed four years (2013-2017), winning the Champions League in 2015.

During the summer of 2019, Barça had recognized an interest in bringing Neymar back to Catalonia, even finding an "oral agreement" with the player according to the press. But the Catalan leaders had not managed to convince the PSG.

Consequently, the withdrawal of Neymar's complaint before the Spanish courts, mentioned as a prerequisite for this "return operation", had not happened, any more than that of the complaint filed in response by Barça.

The blaugrana club, which had already paid part of the bonus to the player (20.75 million euros), hoped to recover the total of this first payment, and to obtain in addition 8.5 million euros of damages with interests.

The two parties had been heard at the industrial tribunal on September 27, then had given their conclusions on October 21.

With PSG this summer in the Champions League

Barça, which welcomed in a statement the decision made Friday, nevertheless recalled that the attacker could appeal and that the club would continue "to defend with firmness his interests" before justice.

While the French Championship has been definitively stopped because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Champions League will not resume until August, the PSG superstar returned to France last Saturday, after spending almost three months at home in Brazil.

Still very appreciated by his former teammates in the Barça locker room, the striker is preparing to find his Parisian teammates on Monday for a series of medical exams and physical tests which will launch the wild summer of PSG. But will it still be there at the end of the transfer window, expected on October 5?

The economic crisis caused by the pandemic has reduced the financial base of clubs, which announces a much quieter transfer window.

In this context, it is difficult to imagine the departure of the most expensive player in history, under contract with PSG until 2022 ... and even less now that his relations with his main contender are settled in the courtrooms .

With AFP

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