Neymar’s ‘entourage are complicating’ £195MILLION move from Barcelona to PSG as they are telling him different things
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THE blockbuster £195MILLION deal to send Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain is nowhere near close to completion, according to reports in France.
And it's Neymar's entourage who are thought to be holding up the deal - with a split between some who think he should leave Barcelona and those who think he should stay.
French sports daily L'Equipe have gone big on the issue, dedicating their front page and a full two pages to the ins and outs of the deal.
Over the past couple of days there have been conflicting reports in France, Spain and Brazil - with reports last night that a deal was done and a transfer was imminent after the Ligue 1 giants met the whopping release clause.
But the French paper report that the gossip should be taken with a pinch of salt, as members of Neymar's entourage are feeding out opposing scraps of information with their own aims.
Their front page states that Neymar's entourage are involved in a game of poker - and that a rift in the Neymar camp appears to have emerged.
It says that he is 'at the centre of a struggle between his close relations'.
There are those that want Neymar, who is currently on board a yacht in Ibiza, to leave the Nou Camp and finally step out of Lionel Messi's long shadow.
Latest on the Neymar saga
Neymar: Who is the Brazilian star?
- Born on February 5, 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo
- Joined local side Portugesa Santista as a seven-year-old, before mocing to Santos at 11
- Made his senior debut for Santos at just 17, scoring 14 goals in total his first season
- At age 18 he led Santos to the Brazilian title and came third in the South American Footballer of the Year award
- Won man of the match in the 2011 Copa Libertadores final, as Santos beat Penarol - it was the Brazilian club's first time winning the competition since Pele was playing 1963
- Eventually left Santos in 2013 after winning three Brazilian titles and scoring 136 goals in 225 matches - all before 21
- Moved to Barcelona in 2013, with Barca president Josep Bartomeu charged with tax fraud after it was revealed he had paid the star's parents €40million
- In five years at the club has helped Barcelona win two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey three times, the Club World Cup and the Champions League in 2015
- Has scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barca, adding 59 assists in that time
- Fast-tracked into the Brazil national team at just 18, he already has 52 goals in 77 caps - fourth on the all-time list.
- Has been the Selecao's permanent captain since 2015
And there are those that want Neymar to stay - but are feeding information to scare Barca into handing the Brazil captain another new contract.
The 25-year-old only signed a new contract in November, but Messi signed a truly mammoth deal a month ago after protracted negotiations and brinkmanship.
Neymar now reportedly earns less than half of Messi's annual salary and some in his camp - including, importantly, his father Neymar Santos Sr - want that gap to close.
The presence of several international team-mates in the squad, especially new signing and close friend Dani Alves, will also be important to the move.
Barcelona have put on a very public showing that they do not want to sell Neymar, but PSG's desire to bring the Brazilian to the club is long-standing.
The two teams first made contact over a move almost 18 months ago and have been in irregular contact since.
The club's Qatari owners are said to be 'in love' with the idea of bringing Neymar to the French capital, where they would bump his salary up to nearly £450,000-a-week.
L'Equipe also report that the massive deal for Neymar, after transfer fee and wages, would mean that the club would be forced to sell - despite their billionaire owners.
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