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Barcelona have announced that they have ended their protracted legal battle with Neymar, dating back a few years to one of the most fascinating transfer stories in European football.
In a statement released by the club, Barcelona said:
"FC Barcelona announce that it has ended out of court in amicable fashion the various labour and civil litigation cases that were open with the Brazilian player Neymar. As such, a transactional agreement between the club and the player has been signed to end the legal cases that were pending between the two parties."
What was the legal battle between Barcelona and Neymar?
Neymar's relationship with Barcelona deteriorated massively when he left for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017. Both parties took potshots at each other by threatening legal actions or passing unprofessional comments.
Matters escalated to a legal battle when Neymar sued Barcelona for withholding bonuses to the tune of €46.3 million, based on a contract signed between the two parties in 2016.
Barcelona did not take kindly to that and counter-sued Neymar for breach of contract when he left for PSG in 2017.
It should be noted here that some sources believe it was Barcelona that started legal proceedings by demanding money from Neymar, and it was, in fact, the Brazilian who counter-sued the Catalan club.
What happened next?
Regardless of who filed the first legal case, a battle ensued between the two parties. A Spanish judge sided with Barcelona, ordering Neymar to pay a fine of €6.7 million for damages, which was swiftly rejected by the Brazilian. He went on to appeal the decision and launched a fresh case against his former club.
What has happened now?
With the legal details of the case entangled in multiple knots, Barcelona have finally come to an amicable solution with the player. As stated earlier, the club have found an out-of-court settlement with Neymar, bringing an end to a messy, public legal affair between the two parties.
Did Neymar want a return to Barcelona?
As the legal battle raged on at one end, the other side of the story saw the development of a bizarre transfer rumour fuelled by Neymar himself. Unhappy with life at PSG, Neymar dropped several hints about wanting a return to Catalonia to reunite with his friend and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi.
The club also flirted with the idea of bringing back Neymar, but PSG were never having none of it. They had signed Neymar for a world-record fee of €222 million, and unless Barcelona could stump up an amount close to that, they were never going to part with Neymar.
The transfer rumour has been put to bed due to Barcelona's poor financial health. Moreover, Neymar has penned a new contract extension with PSG earlier this year. which will keep him at the club till 2025
