La Liga rejected PSG's attempt to buyout Neymar's Barcelona contract - here's why!
PSG’s bid to sign Neymar Jr by paying his buyout clause hit the wall when La Liga refused to accept the French club’s payment for the forward’s contract to Barcelona FC. Lawyers Juan de Dios Crespo and Marcos Motta had gone to the league’s headquarters to deposit €222m (£198m) but La Liga refused to accept the payment.
La Liga president Javier Tebas had said in a statement: “We can confirm that the player’s lawyers came to the La Liga offices this morning to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected. That’s all the information we are giving out at this moment.”
Tebas argued that the deal would infringe upon UEFA’s financial fair play regulations and the league was protecting Spain’s top clubs. They said that the origin of the money is unclear and under its regulations only Spanish clubs have rights to buyout a player’s contract. However, the league has accepted buyout deposits from foreign clubs in the past and if Neymar Jr turns up to pay, the league would’ve to accept it.
Ergo, it’s improbable that the league can hold up the transfer. PSG on the other hand, have been working around the clock to make sure that the transfer complies with UEFA’s FFP regulations. PSG's president Nasser al-Khelaifi declined to comment when asked about the latest development during a visit to a children's holiday camp outside Paris where France president Emmanuel Macron was also in attendance. "I'm here today on behalf of PSG's foundation," Qatari businessman al-Khelaifi said.
Spain's Marca newspaper reported that Neymar and his advisers would turn to FIFA, world soccer's governing body, requesting a provisional transfer to PSG. The striker's agent Wagner Ribeiro had said on Wednesday that the French club was ready to foot the bill so that Neymar could be presented at PSG at the weekend. La Liga president, Javier Tebas, had already warned in an interview that Spain's league would not accept payment by PSG to trigger the release clause, saying it was potentially in breach of UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Under the those rules, a club's wage bill must not exceed 70% of its revenue. UEFA, European football's governing body, told Reuters on Wednesday that had been no complaint received so far about PSG in this respect, adding that it would not block any potential deal in advance.
Macron approves of deal!
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday gave his seal of approval to Neymar's expected transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain a day after the Brazilian said good bye to his teammates in Spain as the new coach gave him permission to sort out his future.
"It adds attractiveness. Yes, it's good news," Macron told journalists as he visited a holiday centre for children outside Paris. Macron also congratulated Qatari-owned PSG's chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was attending the same event. "Congratulations, I believe there has been good news," the president told him, referring to Neymar's expected arrival.
With inputs from Reuters
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