The various dilemmas currently being faced by FC Barcelona see the Catalan club having to face both the issues of pending arrivals as well as the concerns regarding blocked departures at the same time.
In recent advanced operations, Barcelona have primarily been working on both planned departures as well as unforeseen ones. The case of French winger Ousmane Dembele in particular has left the club in sporting dismay as they now rush to find an adequate replacement.
A recent prospect that has evolved and has been reported consistently over the last few days is that of former Barcelona hero Neymar Jr, who currently remains contracted to PSG on one of the most lucrative contracts in European football.
For Barcelona, the feasibility of bringing the player in directly is quite low, given the economic muscle and allowance it would require to conduct such an operation. However, with the aid of a particular Saudi Arabian club, an avenue can be opened up.
As was previously reported here on Barca News Network, Barcelona could be working with a Middle Eastern club to establish a link that could allow Neymar Jr to come to the Catalan giants on a season-long loan while he remains a permanent contracted player to the Saudi Arabian club involved.
However, the opposition to bringing the 31-year-old Brazilian back has come primarily from Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who believes the player’s homecoming could do more harm than good, especially in the locker room where the coach believes a unity and balance has been created that Neymar’s arrival could disrupt.
As a result, seeing that this could be a market opportunity that heavily favors Barcelona, club President Joan Laporta is expected or hold a meeting with Xavi Hernandez in the coming days according to Spanish outlet SPORT.
The report suggests that Laporta intends to utilize the meeting as a means to convince Xavi of the benefits of signing Neymar Jr and the economic advantages in particular his arrival could bring to Barcelona, considering it to be more of a ‘club project’ rather than a sporting one.
Moreover, the board believes that other possible market opportunities have already been negated due to Xavi’s reluctance from a sporting point of view, namely that of Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves while that of Joao Felix still remains hanging in the balance and on the table.
Given that Barcelona already have issues addressing other top acquisitions that are gradually becoming unattainable, Laporta possibly considers Neymar Jr his final gamble of the summer heading into a season where even Camp Nou remains under construction so a global signing like Neymar could have its own image and economic advantages for the club.
