Neymar to PSG: Is the Brazilian superstar really worth £196million… and would Barcelona be right to sell for the world-record fee?

REPORTS in Brazil claim Paris Saint-Germain are ready to trigger Neymar’s release clause by submitting a staggering £196million bid for the Barcelona superstar.

It is claimed Neymar has already agreed terms over a move to France as he is keen to get out of the shadow of Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou in order to stake his own claim to being the world’s best footballer.

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The eye-watering transfer fee would more than double the current world record set by Manchester United’s £89million capture of Paul Pogba last summer.

Our friends at Football Whispers ask if Neymar is worth all that money and analyse whether Barcelona should be willing cash in...

IN THE four years since his move to Barcelona from Santos, Neymar has won it all.

The Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the World Club Cup.

If a trophy is worth winning, you can bet the 25-year-old Brazilian already has a winners’ medal to prove he’s done so, several times over in many cases.

But despite his immense gifts and increasing importance to the team, the 77-cap Selecao star has always played second fiddle to five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi.

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The pair get on famously on and off the pitch, and there has never been any sign of disharmony between the two; quite the opposite in fact.

However, Neymar now reportedly believes it is time to forge his own path, to be the main man for one of Europe’s elite clubs and become recognised as the very best in the world at what he does.

As long as the Camp Nou is Messi’s home – and the Argentinian genius has just put pen to paper on a lucrative new long-term contract – Neymar will be unable to do that at Barcelona.

So, if the now widespread reports are to be believed, the flamboyant attacker has agreed to join cash-rich

French side PSG in a deal which will make him the most expensive player in history by an enormous margin.

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
• iIn 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

The transfer market has inflated to a ridiculous point, with the increase in TV money for Premier League sides and prevalence of spend-happy billionaire owners largely to blame.

But even so, £196million represents a fee nobody thought would be splashed on a single player any time soon.

So is Neymar really worth that much money? Is any player, for that matter?

Well, the notion of “worth” is relative in football. Manchester United paid what seemed to many an exorbitant fee to sign Pogba a year ago after allowing him to leave for next to nothing four seasons earlier.

But the commercial appeal of the player, the statement his signing made for a club rebuilding, and, of course, his ability on the pitch, has made the deal look a lot more reasonable with time – especially in light of further market inflation this summer.

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Doubling that figure for Neymar would be a huge outlay for any top side, even one with PSG’s immense resources.

But they are a club looking to build and break beyond their limitations in Ligue 1 and become a genuine European superpower; the Barca man can help them do that.

Neymar is also at the perfect age for any potential suitor. At 25 he is already an established superstar of the world game who produces top-class performances at the highest level on a consistent basis. Crucially though he still has his best years ahead of him.

What’s more, Neymar is one of the most commercially relevant sportsmen on the planet and will become the face of PSG as they look to grow on and off the pitch.

It may well be the case that no player is worth £196million. But if anyone is, it’s Neymar.

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NOW READ: Tim Vickery on why Neymar's world record move to PSG makes sense

From Barcelona’s perspective, the buyout clause inserted into the deal he penned last year ensures that they will be well compensated should Neymar depart Catalonia, leaving money in the coffers for a replacement.

But the fact is that there is no replacement for Neymar. Ousmane Dembele has been mooted as a Barcelona transfer target but the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger is still developing and could do without the pressure of stepping into the brilliant Brazilian’s boots.

Neymar has 185 combined goals and assists in 186 games for Barcelona – that’s a level of productivity that is hard to find.

And with Messi now 30 and approaching an inevitable decline, Barca must do all in their power to keep Neymar at the club.

He may be growing frustrated at being the Camp Nou No.2, but he is the rightful heir to Messi’s throne and will soon be crowned.