Barcelona to reignite Neymar interest in 2020 | OneFootball

Here we go again.

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Neymar left Barcelona in a world record move to Paris Saint-Germain, yet rumours of the Brazilian’s return to Camp Nou have always been there, lurking just beneath the surface.

And now they’re back.

According to Mundo Deportivo, once Christmas is out of the way the Barça hierarchy will begin formulating their plans for the summer and Neymar is very much going to be on their agenda.

The 27-year-old made no secret of his desire to return to Catalonia last summer but despite his best efforts, he was still a PSG player when the transfer window closed.

But this time, he might be able to get his own way.

Mundo Deportivo claim that Fifa’s ‘Regulations on the Statute and Transfer of Players’ contains a clause which states once a ‘Protected Period’ “of three complete seasons or three years – whichever comes first” has passed, Neymar could theoretically force his way out of PSG in exchange for adequate compensation.

This is Neymar’s third season in Paris and according to Fifa’s regulations, Mundo Deportivo calculate that the amount of compensation PSG would receive if he were to leave would be €180m – €42m less than his world record transfer fee in the summer of 2017.

But Barcelona’s interest in re-signing their former player is likely to depend on how he performs for the rest of the season, and whether he can stay fit.

Neymar spent most of 2019 sidelined with various injuries and the Blaugrana are unlikely to want to spend that kind of money on a player who doesn’t play.

But it promises to be another interesting summer.