Trust Barcelona to always make the less rational decision
Neymar’s yearning for a return to the club which made him awarded Barcelona the opportunity to lay off a disastrous signing in Philippe Coutinho and get back a superstar. Instead, the club chose to sign Antoine Griezmann in a very controversial deal.
Coutinho was all set to join Paris Saint-Germain, despite his agent Kia Joorabchian’s statements regarding his wish to stay at Barça. But Barça decided not to cash in on this. Now, the Neymar deal is closed once and for all, with or without Coutinho.
In fact, it was always a choice between Antoine Griezmann and Neymar. There was no way that Barça could afford both players. The finances of the club are already fragile and the wage bill has been growing larger every summer.
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Having Lionel Messi, Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé and Luis Suárez on the squad together was never a possibility. But Barça have made the decision, a decision which is not rooted in logical reasoning in any way.
Neymar is younger than Griezmann. Even if he would cost the same amount as Griezmann in fees upfront, his return would mean the departure of Coutinho. But most importantly, Neymar is a better player than Griezmann and already has an understanding with Messi and Suárez.
If Neymar was signed instead of Griezmann, a bitter confrontation with Atlético could be avoided. PSG had accepted the fact that Neymar would eventually leave when they broke the world record to sign him, but Atlético are enraged by Griezmann’s departure.