By Asad Bisati

Selected photos courtesy of iStock by Getty Images

The transfer to eclipse all transfers could soon take place in France in a matter of days, with FC Barcelona’s Neymar set to become the most expensive player on the planet in an unprecedented bid by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) that almost doubles professional football’s highest transfer record set by Manchester United for Frenchman Paul Pogba.

So, what’s the number on offer that will make Neymar technically gold? How does a whopping 195 million British pounds sterling sound? Don’t bother converting that into dollars or riyals lest you go cross-eyed. Man U’s previous transfer record was set at 89 million British pounds – and this is 105 million pounds more. In case that still hasn’t sunk in…that’s two and a half times ore than what was paid for Ronaldo by Real Madrid.

Now, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘Is it worth it?’ Neymar is one of the great players of this current generation, yet he mostly gets overshadowed in the present Barca line-up by Messi. Even though he’s shown some spark, in all honesty he hasn’t lit the place alight with his talent. Barcelona did have a lot of faith in him however, and even found themselves embroiled in court proceedings earlier in the spring over his transfer.

As a player, Neymar is quick, with excellent dribbling, passing, free kicks etc.; his major problem is lack of physical strength. In the French league, most of their defenders can out-muscle him off the ball. But let’s save the discussion over his ability for another time – right now the footballing world is going bonkers. 199 million British pounds is greater than what all the major Premier League have spent so far. Spurs fans especially will be aghast as they haven’t spent a dime to date this season.

For 195 million, Arsenal could buy Lacazzette four times over, Chelsea could buy Morata close to three times over – and the list goes on.

PSG is valued at around 814 million British pounds, so the club is technically buying Neymar for 25% of their total net worth. So, wouldn’t it be better if they just offered Barcelona a stake in the club? (Don’t worry – I’m only kidding!)

Nasser Al-Khelaifi is the Chairman for PSG, which is owned Oryx Qatar Sports Investments based out of Doha. In his role as Chairman, Al-Khelaifi has made it a point that PSG have all the best players in the world. The Qatari businessman is in fact known for his out-of-the-box thinking and being able to attract the most talented and lucrative players to the club. His ambition is for PSG to become a footballing powerhouse, and with aims to win the Champions League his top priority, all the buys thus far have been for that goal only. With this bid for Neymar, Al-Khelaifi is looking to make PSG fight for European dominance.

What are your thoughts on the outrageous transfer amount offer to Neymar? Is he worth it? What about financial fair play regulations? Can PSG benefit from his addition to the team? Drop us a line in the comments below and don’t forget to give us a like and a share – it keeps us going!

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar

ILQ Staff

Start a discussion