Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has made luring Neymar from Barcelona in a ‘Luis Figo-esque’ transfer his top priority, according to reports in Spanish publication Sport. Perez previously tried to sign the Brazilian from Santos in 2013, but the 23-year-old chose to don the Blaugrana colours over the whites of Los Blancos.
The 68-year-old has reportedly been trying to contact Neymar’s father, Neymar Santos Sr. in order to arrange a meeting with him. However, Perez has not received a positive response from him and the Barcelona winger looks set to snub Real Madrid once again.
The Catalan giants signed Neymar in the 2013 summer transfer window for a reported fee of €57.1 million, however, various questions were raised on the supposed transfer amount by Santos FC. The Brazilian club alleged that they should have received more money than the €17.1 million they were paid two years ago by the Catalan club, with Neymar’s parents supposedly receiving €45 million.
The transfer saga got so sketchy that Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had to admit that the situation has gone awkward for the club.
“It's embarrassing because we think we are right,” Bartomeu had said. However, the 23-year-old’s performances with the club have been nothing short of spectacular as he has formed probably the World’s best ever attacking trio, MSN, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. He is currently the leading scorer of La Liga with 14 goals in 13 appearances, along with 5 assists.
The Brazilian captain scored 39 goals in the last season for Barcelona in what was a second European treble winning season for the Spanish giants. He has also won six trophies thus far in his two and a half year long career at the Camp Nou.
Neymar was highly instrumental in Barcelona’s 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu back in September. Such performances have only added to the value of the flamboyant winger, whose buyout clause is reportedly set at a whopping €190M. Reportedly, if the Brazilian and his representatives agree for the switch between the arch-rivals, Perez will not think twice before paying that amount.
The ex-Santos man has been touted by many as the future best player of the world and Real Madrid’s president is willing to try everything possible to convince the Brazilian to join the Blancos, just like he convinced Luis Figo back in 2000 in a mega £37 million deal.
