Speculation continues to mount that Neymar could leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with Barcelona the likely destination of the attacker.
Since moving to Parc des Princes in the summer of 2017, there have been rumours that the 27-year-old was not happy in France, with his impact at key times during his two seasons at the club having been negated by significant foot injuries.
However, the return of Leonardo as sporting director of the Ligue 1 champions has brought a change of culture. Neymar will be on a shorter leash, and having returned back for pre-season training a week later than he was expected, finds himself immediately in the bad books.
Indeed, so enraged were PSG with the forwardâs no-show for the opening sessions of the summer, they released a very public statement rebuking him. Neymarâs father hit back and said the club were informed of his plans, while Leonardo later confessed in an interview to Le Parisien that the player could go at the right price. Just what this price is, however, is unclear.
Unlike in Spain, where every player legally has to have a release clause built into their contracts, even if it is a symbolic one, like the âŹ800 million (ÂŁ721m/$900m) one on recent Barcelona signing Antoine Griezmannâs agreement, it is illegal in France for players to have such deals built into their contracts.
As such, any reports suggesting that Neymar can be bought for a certain fee are very likely to be baseless.
What is not against the law, however, are gentlemanâs agreements that could allow transfers to take place at any given time.
The upshot of this means that no matter what Barcelona bid for Neymar, PSG will not be compelled to sell the striker, whose contract with the club is up in 2022.
How much do Paris Saint-Germain want for Neymar?
Leonardo may have stated that the former Santos man is available at the right price, but he has not intimated what this price may be.
PSG, however, do not want to make a loss on the forward, who is only likely to leave for a fee above the âŹ222m (ÂŁ200m/$263m) that he arrived for two years ago.
Reports in France state that the Ligue 1 side are more interested in receiving cash than any part-exchange, though they are set to relent on their initial asking price of âŹ300m.
Barcelona, who have already bought Griezmann for âŹ120m from Atletico Madrid this summer as well as Ajax's Frenkie de Jong for âŹ75m, may struggle to fund such an option given that they are currently operating with a transfer net spend of nearly âŹ150m. As such, they are keen on offering at least two players as part of the package to help Neymar return to Camp Nou.
The playerâs future, however, is currently in the hands of PSG.