Barcelona is suing Neymar for €8.5M ($10M) for "alleged breach of contract and demanding he return the loyalty bonus paid after he renewed his deal in October," less than a year before he signed for Paris St. Germain, the club said Tuesday, according to Rik Sharma of REUTERS. Barcelona is asking for an additional 10% payment "due to a delay" in its demands being met, "after presenting the Brazilian striker with them" on Aug. 11 (REUTERS, 8/22). The LONDON TIMES reported Neymar's relations with Barcelona "have turned sour." On Monday, Neymar said that Barcelona deserved "much more" than the current board of directors and added that it made him "very sad" (LONDON TIMES, 8/22).
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: EL PERIÓDICO reported former Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito, who is leading a censure motion against current President Josep María Bartomeu and the club's board, "appeared very concerned with the renewal of Lionel Messi, which has still not been finalized, and by the club's general situation." Benedito: "The institutional situation of Barça at the moment is very grave. The board has had all summer to make signings and it seems that the roster is not going to be better than it was last year." He added, "The case with Messi could be worse than the one with Neymar because as of now, he will be free on Jan. 1" (EL PERIÓDICO, 8/22). In London, Ed Malyon reported it is "now just over four months" until Messi and Andrés Iniesta "can begin to discuss Bosman transfers" for the summer of '18. That, in one sentence, "highlights Barcelona's incompetence in tying down their best players" to new deals. Messi will sign, Barcelona says. The club "crowed loudly" when it came to an agreement over an extension in early July and the plan was that when Messi returned from Argentina in mid-July he would sign that contract until '21. But that "important final act is yet to take place and there are more than a few nerves beginning to jangle behind the scenes." In a "turbulent summer" when the directors "remain under serious pressure," all the leverage "remains with Camp Messi." Iniesta this week "chose to speak out." He "broached the subject of his own contractual situation very carefully" but hinted that he was not "pleased with how things had gone" (INDEPENDENT, 8/22).
