The links regarding Neymar’s return to Barcelona have become a bit too common this summer.
According to a report from The Sun, the Spanish club are willing to offer a ‘player plus cash’ deal in a bid to bring the 27-year-old back to Camp Nou.
The players on the swap list include the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic, Samuel Umtiti, and Ousmane Dembele, the report adds.
A wise move by Barcelona to offer a player for Neymar?
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 isn’t exactly wise for the Blaugrana who already have several players on high wages.
Many people, including the former Barcelona legend Rivaldo, also seem to believe the Spanish giants need Neymar back to win the Champions League.
In Neymar’s four years at Barcelona, the club won the European competition only once and were knocked out at the quarter-final stage on three other 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.
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 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 missed more games than Dembele in the last two seasons. Since the Frenchman arrived at Barcelona, he has played 65 games over two seasons, 7 more than Neymar (58) has played at PSG.
A similar case arises with sending another Frenchman in Umtiti the other way if this crazy deal finds some sort of legs to stand upon in the near future.
The Catalan club are already on the lookout for a suitable replacement for Gerard Pique at the back, losing Umtiti will further aggravate this problem.
However, the departures of Rakitic and Coutinho could prove wise in the long run seeing the former is already 31 years of age, while the Brazilian hasn’t settled at the Camp Nou.
The pair’s departure could also free up the wage bill for the PSG star to arrive with no hassle.
Despite that, the Neymar will bring with him problems both on and off the pitch. For a club of Barcelona’s stature, this move could very well take them two steps backwards rather than a step forward.