August 23 – Barcelona have announced that they intend to sue Neymar for breach of contract following his increasingly bitter departure to Paris St Germain for a world record €222 million.
The Catalan club are demanding €8.5 million in damages, plus the return of an undisclosed loyalty bonus paid to the player, having renewed his contract last October.
“FC Barcelona has started these proceedings to protect its interests following Neymar’s decision to buy out his contract just months after he signed an extension until 2021,” a statement read.
Neymar said he was surprised by the decision and that he would fight the lawsuit.
“It is noteworthy that this news was received with surprise, since the athlete completely fulfilled the contract then in force, with the full deposit of the amounts set out in the buy-out clause freely agreed with F.C. Barcelona for his release,” Neymar’s representatives said in a statement.
In a further twist, they disclosed they were planning to file a counter claim on the €26 million in bonuses that Barcelona has refused to pay, monies that were due to the Brazilian this summer but withheld since, according to Barca, Neymar had not fulfilled his contractual duties.
Barcelona have passed their complaint to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) after first filing the lawsuit in court and as tit-for-tat statements continued, PSG gave their own reaction as they defended their new superstar.
“Paris Saint-Germain reiterates that, like Neymar Jr., it has always respected all applicable laws and rules in its dealings and, once again, regrets the attitude of FC Barcelona,” the club said.
The 25-year-old has got off to a whirlwind start at PSG, scoring on his league debut and then twice in a 6-2 victory over Toulouse. But the fallout from his departure rumbles on with critics of the deal claiming it was not a genuine transfer, in the true spirit of the word, more an indemnity.
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