Neymar talk never ends – Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has become irritated by questions relating to Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar: “It never ends.”

The Blaugrana boss was once again asked about the player during a press conference on Friday ahead of his side’s trip to Getafe.

However, unlike previous months the question was not in relation about a future return to the club for the Brazilian player, but rather an ongoing court case involving Neymar against the Catalan club.

“The Neymar talk never ends,” Valverde lamented during his pre-match press conference on Friday, as cited by ABC.

“During the summer, we were all wanting September to arrive so that they (the rumours) ended, and now I have nothing more to say.

“All this talk (of his court appearance against the club) is about contractual issues that are now in my realm or related to my powers, they are internal questions – it is all handled above me.

“Our aim should be to have a press conference where I do not speak about Neymar.”

The issue is in relation to a bonus Neymar signed in 2016 where he was entitled to an initial €14m from the club but was then due a whopping €26m extra on July 31 the following year.

That was in the midst of the player’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain – which went through days later – with the Catalan club not paying out on the extra payment.

Neymar flew to the city on Thursday and his father is said to have held a meeting with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu in the hope of settling the dispute outside of court.

However, it is claimed that late demands from the player’s representatives were rejected by the club and totally disrupted the diplomacy, meaning that it will indeed now be heard in front of a judge.

Barcelona are also said to be claiming damages against Neymar from the €14m payment as they believe he breached the agreement, while they are also seeking an extra €8.5m from his camp.

Neymar joined Barca from Santos in 2013 and left for Paris Saint-Germain in a world record €222m deal four years later – and he remains in Ligue 1.

It is a somewhat surreal series of events related to Neymar’s time at the Camp Nou, while the Blaugrana were heavily linked with his signing this summer – a move that never came to fruition.

Tags Ernesto Valverde
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