No, you don't dream, it's 2025.
You could also be wondering how every thing on the planet is sitting here and discussing the chance that Neymar will return to Barcelona this summer.
After all, the Brazilian has just turned 33 and played only 13 football games within the last two seasons.
I won’t blame you that you will have scratched your head. However, that is the world of football transfers – and the world of the Barcelona Football Club – which suggests: exclude nothing.
As unreasonable as a attack for Hansi Flicks Barcelona could also be, it’s an concept that is explored behind the scenes, as my colleague David Ornstein reports.
I’ll first explain the state of the sport.
Neymar signed a six -month contract together with his youth club Santos last month after making an agreement together with his Saudi Club Al Hilal to depart a free transfer. In 2023 he moved to Saudi Arabia for 90 million euros and met once in seven appearances, whereby his stay was massively disturbed by the anterior cruciate ligament injury, which he played just a couple of months after his connection to Brazil.
His short-term contract in Santos will theoretically allow him to get back into shape-and he has began and made it twice in his six previous appearances. Despite the stuttering return with Al Hilal after his ACL injury, Neymar is now on a mission.
It is not any secret that the Brazilian record scorer returns to Barcelona several times since he became PSG for a fee of 222 million euros in 2017 – which continues to be a world record. Neymar never felt as comfortable in Paris as in Barcelona, and his entourage has let the club know for years.
In 2019, the President of Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu tried to not bring him back. Four years later, when Neymar left PSG to affix Al Hilal, he tested the water with Barcelona before committed to Saudi Arabia. At that point, the Catalans drowned in financial turbulence and couldn’t even dream of paying PSG a fee. Neymar accepted the fact of the situation and agreed to affix Al Hilal.
(Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)
But why should it’s different if Barcelona still fights for salary limits and player registrations? And above all, it’s a superb idea to sign and risk an older player, to disturb the established order of a young squad who comes up with talent?
Pini Zahavi, the player's agent, is a key figure on the subject of understanding what is going on here. Zahavi has an in depth friendship with the Barca President Joan Laporta, who has approved the arrival of two of Zahavi's largest customers in recent times: Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick. The relationship between the agent and the manager was essential for these transfers and will definitely be again in the longer term. Jonathan Tah, the Bavarian Leverkusen defender this summer, is one other player who was managed by Zahavi, who was related to Barcelona.
Since the club is to play within the renovated Camp Nou in 2025-26, the arrival of a star name like Neymar Laporta-would appeal to have fun the return to the stadium and sell the initial 60,000 seats when the team returns.
In the changing room, Neymar would have some influential allies. The club captain and Star performer this season, Raphhinha, was along with the Brazilian national team near Neymar. Then there’s Lamin Yamal, who grew as much as worship Neymar. The two met in December on the Globe Soccer Awards gala and have interacted on social media within the months since then.
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
A positive for Barcelona's precarious financial situation is that Neymar would suffer a free transfer, together with his short -term contract with Santos expired this summer. With his view of the representation of Brazil on the 2026 World Cup within the USA, Canada and Mexico, he may even agree on the private conditions that were favorable for Barcelona to be back in a club that he loves on the biggest stage.
From a football perspective, it’s difficult to argue how this step would make sense. It is difficult to see how a 33-year-old Neymar together with his extensive injury record matches into the high pressure system from Flick, which requires a substantial amount of labor from his forward line. In fact, this problem is the rationale why the 36-year-old Lewandowski was dropped several times this season from the starting line-up.
It is not any secret that the sports director of Barcelona, Deco, the marketplace for a brand new striker explores one who can play each on the left and in a central position.
Club sources that asked anonymously to guard their work said that a few of the players preferred by Deco were Luis Diaz von Liverpool, Rafael Leao von Milan, Alexander Isak from Newcastle. After much more suitable profiles, they give the impression of being like Flick desires to play his Barcelona – but all three could have many frener this summer in the event that they should leave their current clubs.
But what if the financial hurdles of Barcelona Neymar do a favor here? What if the club cannot fight one in every of Deco's top targets on account of more registration problems? What if Neymar is probably the most practical option and liked the club's President and would probably give the playing ticket to the playday?
This will definitely be the largest decision for Barcelona this summer. It has at all times been as relevant as the factors of Laporta on the subject of the business of Barcelona, the preferences of the Deco and the amount of cash that the club repeats from player turnover.
And above them there must be the thoughts of Flick, the manager who has transformed Barcelona in La Liga and Champions League candidate. Next summer, no relevant signing will probably be made without it giving the green light – even when he and Neymar share an agent.
But as we said: that is the sometimes unfathomable world of football transfers, and that’s Barcelona, so nothing might be ruled out …
image credit : www.nytimes.com