Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has praised Barcelona superstar Neymar, saying the Brazilian forward has been ‘incredible’ for the Catalan giants this season.
Neymar has been in tremendous form for Barcelona, scoring 13 goals and further registering six assists in all competitions.
Speaking to Spanish radio station, Onda Cero, Fabregas said as quoted by Daily Mail:
“I have seen practically every Barca game since I left and the development of Neymar has been incredible.”
“Speaking to [former Barca] team-mates he is flying and that can only benefit them. Hopefully he will stay that way and will keep on scoring lots of goals.”
Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Neymar’s contract situation.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all willing to meet his massive £134m buy-out clause, should Barcelona fail to reach an agreement with the Brazilian forward.
Barcelona may not be willing to sell Neymar anytime soon, but the tension has been allowed to develop with the contract negotiations reaching an impasse. This should encourage the potential suitors to try their luck with formal bids for him next summer.
Sky Sport’s Guilllem Balague notes the player is unhappy playing the second fiddle role to Lionel Messi, which could facilitate a transfer move.
Barcelona’s financial conditions aren’t strong at the moment. Joan Laporta, the former club president recently claimed that Barcelona’s decision to sell big name players like Alexis Sanchez and Pedro was made out of necessity.
Two things to consider here – first, Neymar is only 23 and Barcelona would want to build a team around him for at least next 5-6 years, if not more. Secondly, Neymar has a great global marketing value, and clubs like United, Madrid and PSG can afford to pay such a ridiculous fee to sign him. But, Neymar hasn’t given any indication that he wants to leave, rather he has always expressed his joy to be playing alongside world class players like Messi and Suarez.
Having said that, if Barcelona fail to provide Neymar the contract he is looking for, United have every reason to be optimistic about a potential transfer.
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