The 2018/19 season is reaching its conclusion and we are on the cusp of an enthralling summer of transfer battles where many European giants are looking to better their squad for the next campaign.
One such example is Football Club Barcelona who are plotting a move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar Jr. who had earlier forced his way out of the Blaugrana club to join the Ligue 1 giants.
According to a report from the Daily Record, the Catalan club could offer one of their two mega signings in Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembele in part exchange for the 27-year-old Brazilian.
Neymar Jr. to Camp Nou: A bad move for Barcelona
Neymar still holds the record for the most expensive transfer in football history and bringing him back to the Camp Nou would take a similar effort from the Catalan giants. That is in no way better for the Blaugrana club who already boast one of the heaviest wage bills all across Europe.
The Brazilian will turn 28 before the next season concludes and losing someone like Dembele who just turned 22 and is yet to hit his peak seems foolish at this point. Regarding the Frenchman’s injury woes, Neymar has been worse than Dembele in that regard as well. Since the French star arrived at Barcelona, he has played 65 games over two seasons, 7 more than Neymar(58) has played at PSG.
Many people including the former Barcelona legend Rivaldo thinks the Spanish giants need Neymar back to win the Champions League which is far from reality. In Neymar’s four years at Barcelona, the club managed to win the European competition only once and made an exit at the quarter-final stage on other three occasions. That is a success rate of 25% and it would not make much sense to back those odds especially if the money at stake is extravagant.
It further goes to show that the Brazilian’s return won’t guarantee a Champions League title and more so in his last year with Barca, Neymar only lifted the Copa del Rey. Meanwhile, since his departure, Messi and co. have lifted back to back league titles, which again highlights how the team has become more balanced recently.
The Brazilian’s attitude both on and off the pitch has only deteriorated since his move to the Ligue 1 club. Neymar had continuous altercations with Edinson Cavani as soon as he arrived at PSG and recently punched a fan after the defeat in the French Cup final.
Another worry for Barcelona will be to improve more than one area in the summer, most likely the centre-back position and the striker’s position. This task will become nearly impossible to fulfil if Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu even thinks about spending that kind of money(fees + wages) to bring Neymar back.
One of the big reasons the Brazilian left Barca back in 2017 was to become the main man at a club- this will again cause egoistical problems seeing Lionel Messi is ageing like a fine wine and is here to stay for next 3-4 years.
For a club of Barcelona’s stature, this move could very well take them two steps backwards rather than a step forward. The problems at the club are bigger than what Neymar’s arrival could potentially solve. The farther the Blaugrana club moves from its philosophy, the farther the success will be from the Camp Nou.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt
I agree with you. Why invest such huge amount of money to bring back an old man to the club? Neymar does not play business football, but entertainment football. Fc Barca needs result and not entertainment. All Barca needs is find a way to help Dembele stay away from injury. He is young and has room for improvement. Dembele goes for results more than Neymar. And one more thing, Coutinho coming to Barca was one big mistake. Barca board should stop buying players when urgent replacement is needed. Fc Barca should invest in youth or young players.