Even though I realize the irony in this entire tale, I still find it amazing. A report from Spain claims that Xavi has rejected the offer of a loan agreement for Neymar.
PSG made a bid to include Neymar in the €50 million transaction for Ousmane Dembele, the player that Barcelona spent a tonne of money on after selling Neymar to PSG. But Xavi was opposed to the trade going through.
He does not view the injury-prone 31-year-old as a key component of the Barcelona team, despite the marketing frenzy the transfer would generate. Another significant issue for Barca would have been the Brazilian’s pay.
In most cases, I would concur with Xavi. However, given the lack of depth at the wing position, I don’t see any downside to signing Neymar to a short-term loan agreement. But since I don’t oversee Barcelona, we’ll have to wait and watch how things go.