I am amazed that Barcelona officials are still keeping up the appearances that they are not really that interested in Brazilian superstar Neymay. Just this week Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova insisted that he has never spoken about trying to sign the Santos striker.
“I’ve never spoken about signing Neymar,” he was quoted as saying by Marca.
“You journalists are the ones who wrote the stories.”
The reason that you have not spoken about him Tito is because you have already signed him!
Duncan Castles, who writes for the National wrote a great article last December about Neymar and Barcelona. In that piece Castles wrote:
Barcelona have furthered their hold on Neymar’s long-term future by making an initial instalment on the Brazil international’s planned transfer from Santos.
The European champions have paid their South American counterparts – who they face in the final of the Club World Cup on Sunday – €10 million in return for a unilateral option to sign the forward at any point until 2014.
Were Santos to renege on the agreement, Barcelona will be entitled to a compensation payment of €20m. Neymar has already agreed to personal terms with the Catalans, whose plan is to use the striker’s eventual formal acquisition to reinvigorate their squad should their long run of domestic and international success come to a halt.
Ultimately, Barca are expected to pay €60m for his transfer.
The fact that Barcelona are paying the Neymar transfer fee in installments, explains why the club has been so quiet in the transfer market this summer. The only money they have spent is €14 million for Spanish fullback Jordi Alba. That is because most of this summer’s transfer budget has been sent to Santos for Neymar.
Neymay has been brilliant for Brazil in this summer’s Olympics and if Lucas Moura can cost PSG €45m than Neymar for €60m is a bargain.
Can you imagine a Barcelona side that includes Neymar and Messi in his prime?
