Barcelona have won a court case against former star Neymar following a bonus dispute and the player must pay the club €6.7m.
As outlined by ESPN, the court dispute had centred around Neymar claimed that the Blaugrana owed him an unpaid bonus of €43m following the last contract he signed with the club in 2016.
“We express our satisfaction with the verdict announced today by Social Court 15 in Barcelona in relation to the lawsuit involving FC Barcelona and the player Neymar Jr regarding the amount of the signing bonus in the final renewal of the player’s contract,” read a Barca statement on Friday.
“The ruling has fully dismissed the player’s claim for payment of €43.6m, and has accepted a large part of the defence presented by FC Barcelona, as a result of which the player must return €6.7m to the club.
“Since the player’s representative is entitled to appeal this decision, the club shall continue to fervently defend its legitimate interests.”
The former Santos forward left the Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a world record €222m fee, but reports continue to suggest he may be open to a departure from the Parisians.
Neymar has continually been linked with a return to Spain since his departure with the Catalan giants and Real Madrid said to be keen on a future transfer.
Neymar has been derailed in the French capital by injuries – he has been involved in just 52 of a possible 103 Ligue 1 matches since his switch in the summer of 2017, in which he has netted 47 goals.
