What Just Happened? - Neymar to PSG.

Neymar to PSG has been much like all of the monumental transfer rumours that fly around every summer. Messi to leave Barcelona, Ronaldo to return to Manchester United, in fact just about everyone to Manchester United. But believe it or not, the century defining transfer appears to be on it's way to completion after the Brazilian was given permission by the Catalan giant to go and 'sort out his future'.

Now just because Neymar has been given permission to speak to the Paris based club doesn't mean the deal is secured, in fact today Barcelona have also stated that PSG will have to pay the full amount that is stated on the Brazilian's buy out clause, an astounding £198 million, and they will have to pay it in full, up front. PSG are however one of few clubs who could afford the asking price, and with backing from their Qatari owners the former French champions look set to pay the price. This deal will more then double the current world record transfer fee, held by Manchester United and Paul Pogba when he moved from Juventus last summer for £89 million, and this isn't the only way money is a huge factor in this deal. The move could see Neymar become the worlds best paid player, even beating out a number of the ludicrous wage bills coming from China. Paris Saint Germain are prepared to double Neymar's current wage, and it will not be only Neymar Jr getting richer, but senior will as well. It was reported that during the Brazilian forwards initial move to the Camp Nou, his father pocketed an incredible 100 million euro, and with the sale of his son, Neymar senior will receive a 36 million euro commission. This is all taking place after, on Monday 31st July, senior also received a stated 26 million euro loyalty bonus... for his sons loyalty to Barcelona... days before his move to PSG looked like it was on... okay then.

At 25 years old Neymar is already an incredibly rich man, and although his father seems driven by money, the tricky winger doesn't seem to see it as a motivating factor as much. The move to Barcelona demonstrates that, as Real Madrid were prepared to out bid Barca both in terms of transfer fee and wages. So if it isn't money, what else could be pushing Neymar away? Quite simply, and it is quite sad in reality, but Lionel Messi. MSN, Messi, Suarez & Neymar. The Barcelona front line is simply the best in the world, bar none, with three of the world's best players. However the front man will always be, and always has been, Lionel Messi. The Argentinian is seen as the one who started it all, during the 2008/2009 season when the Catalonian's won the treble, it was Messi who was made the figure head of that team, and it has been that way ever since. Now, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Suarez, Eto'o, these stars didn't seem to have a problem with being second fiddle to the worlds best, but Neymar appears to have exactly that problem. 8th March 2017, Barcelona 6-1 PSG. One of the most incredible matches of all time, and after Barca had made history, a photo of Messi, stood on top of an advertising board went viral. Seen as an image for the game, 70 million people had seen the snapshot within 48 hours of it going live, and that is where the problem lays. Messi wasn't the star of the show, he wasn't the man who's curling free kick set the comeback in motion, who both won and scored a penalty moments later, or who's chipped ball out thought the entire PSG defence and created the iconic goal scored by Sergi Roberto. It was Neymar. The late assist was Neymar's eighth of the competition, the most of any player, and he had led throughout the game, but he was pushed to a supporting role by Messi, despite deserving leading man accolades for his performance. On record the Brazilian has stated this was the best performance he has given in the red and blue of Barcelona, and the lasting image will always be, Lionel Messi. With Barcelona though, it almost always is. If Neymar truly wants centre stage, to be seen as 'the guy' then he can't do that at Barcelona, not for another few years at least, and by then his best years may have passed him by. What makes this heart braking in a way is two fold, firstly it breaks up the incredible MSN threesome, which is potentially the best attacking line in history. But also, if Neymar holds some form of grudge against Messi, the Argentinian certainly doesn't feel the same. On his official Instagram Messi has posted a video, made up of pictures of the two of them, with the caption 'It was a great pleasure to spend all these years with you my friend Neymar. I wish you good luck in this new stage of your life. See you tomorrow.'

Neymar's move to PSG could be the decision that sees the Brazilian catapulted into superstardom. The French club have just lost their title to Monaco, one they'll be desperate to win back, but above all else, they'll have their eyes on the Champions League. In the 2015 Champions League final, Neymar stared and scored for Barcelona on the way to a 3-1 win, he also scored four goals and provided four assists during the World Cup in Brazil. Neymar also scored the winning penalty in the gold medal match during the 2016 Olympics, a match not taken too seriously around the world, but one seen as huge in Brazil. At just 25 years old the Brazilian has proven he has what it takes to perform on the biggest stage, and he could easily develop into the best player in the world. But would he ever been seen as anything more then a supporting act when he shared the team with Messi? It's a question we perhaps will never get an answer to as Neymar's eyes seem firmly set on a move to Paris. In terms of domestic football it is a HUGE drop in standard, and you have to question whether or not Neymar will be seen as 'taking the easy way out' by going to France, and you have to question if his performances there will ever lead to Balon D'or accreditation? After all, Zlatan scored 113 league goals in 122 league games for the same club, including 38 goals in 31 games during his final season, and yet was never considered the best player in the world because he was playing in a 'mediocre league'. Then on the other hand, Kylian Mbappe has flourished in the same league, and the teenager is tipped for an incredible £100 million + move away from Monaco, and with Monaco reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League this year, the league appears to be on the way up. PSG failing to win the title shows an increase in competition, in fact Nice were also challenging for the title for most of the season. SO perhaps this is the best time for Neymar to come to France, he could not only be the main man in a new look PSG side, but the figurehead for a growing division, much like Messi was in Spain in the late 2000's and ever since.

So what could Barcelona do to persuade Neymar to stay? Well it appeared that a move for Liverpool's Philipe Coutinho, Neymar's friend from childhood, could be what the board do to keep the Brazilian in Spain. However after a reported £90 million offer was rejected by Liverpool, and manager Jurgen Klopp has very sternly stated that his star man is not for sale, the deal seems to be off for now. You could argue however that the Coutinho offer was to bring in Neymar's immediate replacement, but that same argument can't be used for the next rumoured transfer. Paulinho To Barcelona. What? The midfielder who failed to impress for Spurs in England and has spent the last couple of seasons in China was subject to a rumoured 40 million euro offer from the Spanish giants. Why? Well, Paulinho is also one of Neymar's close friends, it appears Barca were certain that the signing of a friend would keep their number 11 at the club. However when Guangzhou Evergrande said Paulinho was not for sale, the move appeared to die there and then. (Probably for the best, Paulinho isn't fit to lace up Iniesta's boots let alone play in the same midfield as him. ) It isn't just the club trying to hold onto one of their star men, but Neymar's team mates as well. Luis Suarez was reportedly using a plane journey to the USA to try and convince his fellow South American to stay, as well as Gerard Pique, who has had a lot to say on the matter. When asked about the rumours, Pique responded with "He could go to any club in the world, what does he want? More money? Or more titles? I could understand that he wants to be a leader, but not for a sporting project, in all fairness, he's betting everything on one hand (Champions League.)" A few days earlier Pique appeared to be trying to calm the storm, posting on twitter a picture of the Brazilian, the caption being translates to 'he is staying'. However three days after making the post, when again questioned about the move, Pique confirmed everything apart from the statement he had made. The Spanish centre back said that he had spoken to Neymar with the intention of convincing him to stay, and that his hope was the same. Many people at Barcelona consider the Brazilian as the second best player on the planet, and that him staying would be best for his own sake, as well as the clubs. "He doesn't know what to do." Pique followed with. "We'll try to help him make the right decision."

The decision appears to have been made, with Neymar, his father, his representatives, PSG and Barcelona all stating that the move is on. Whether or not this is the correct decision is yet to be seen, one thing is for certain though, this will be the most ground breaking transfer in the history of world football. We've seen stars move from one club to the next, but this will be the first time a transfer of this magnitude has taken place. Barcelona are known for putting huge buy out clauses on their players, representing a 'not for sale sign' and for the first time in history, the huge number wasn't huge enough. The future and present of Brazilian football could be on his way to the French capital, it could go either way, do I want to see the move happen? No. Am I interested? Oh yes. Do I think is is the right thing for Neymar to do? No. But will a player of Neymar's quality continue to be one of the best in the world, no matter where he is? Yes he will.