Neymar ordered to pay Barcelona £6m in court settlement after he demanded £39m in unpaid signing-on bonus
NEYMAR has been ordered to pay Barcelona £6million following a court settlement hearing – after he demanded £39m in unpaid bonuses.
The Paris Saint-Germain ace, 28, was hoping to recoup money he believed was owed to him after signing for the Spanish giants in 2013.
But instead, Neymar has been ordered to pay Barcelona – with the club “welcoming” the ruling.
In a statement, a Barcelona spokesperson said: “FC Barcelona expresses its 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.
“The ruling has fully dismissed the player’s claim for payment of 43.6 million euros.
“[It has also] accepted a large part of the defence presented by FC Barcelona, as a result of which the player must return 6.7 million euros to the club.
“Since the player’s representative is entitled to appeal this decision, the club shall continue to fervently defend its legitimate interests.”
BURN YOUR BRIDGES
Neymar joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Santos in 2013, moving on to PSG four years later.
But since quitting the Nou Camp, Neymar and his team went after Barca, insisting they were owed £39m in the form of an unpaid signing-on bonus.
The PSG forward has frequently discussed his love for Barcelona and his desire to go “home”.
But any thoughts of a move back to the Nou Camp have taken a big hit after he took his former club to court.
Despite believing he would be successful going through the court system, Neymar has in fact been charged £6m for taking the case so far.
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Neymar’s whole move from Santos to Barca was mired in controversy.
In January 2014, officials began investigating the transfer over confusion surrounding the fee, sparking the resignation of then-president Sandro Rosell.
Following an investigation, Barcelona were charged with tax fraud after it turned out Neymar’s move to the club involved a £34m payment to the player’s parents.