Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) €222 million acquisition of Neymar Jr

Overview:

• Football club Paris Saint-Germain have completed the transfer of Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr (full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) from FC Barcelona.
• The player paid €222 million to terminate his contract with FC Barcelona. The same day the 25-year old signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
• He had told FC Barcelona of his intentions the previous day, at which point the club reminded him of the €222 million buy-out clause and also re-iterated its intention to leave his contract extension bonus with a notary until resolution of the case.
• Barcelona have said that they will pass details of the transfer fee to UEFA as disciplinary responsibilities may arise.
• Following the world record transfer, the professional footballers’ representative organisation FifPro called on the competition unit of the European Commission to investigate the impact of transfer fees on competition, fearing an imbalance in favour of a few rich clubs. It wants the Commission to review the transfer rules to ensure the workers’ rights of football players and protect the game.
• The player is captain of his national team and totals 77 appearances and 52 goals for them. At club level, he has won 15 titles.
• Luis Enrique, Jeremy Mathieu and Cristian Tello also left FC Barcelona this summer.

Jordan Hughes - Journalist