Neymar may have got off to a dream start with his new club Paris Saint-Germain but his move from Barcelona could yet to turn into a nightmare with the Spanish club announcing that they intend to sue the Brazilian for breach of contract.
Reports state that Barcelona are demanding €8.5m (£7.8m) in damages from Neymar, as well as the repayment of an undisclosed bonus that he received after renewing his contract at the Camp Nou last season with a further 10% interest on top of that. In a statement released on Tuesday Barca insisted that PSG assume responsibility for payment "in the event that the player cannot do so".
Neymar moved to the French capital earlier this month in a world record £198m transfer, a humiliation for Barcelona that has transformed into bitter resentment at their former player. The South American didn't help himself when he criticised his former club at the weekend, saying the board "should not be there".
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The legal action was launched on August 11 when Barcelona presented a demand to a Labour Tribunal and the club have also notified the Spanish Football Federation that they would like them to take the case to Fifa, the sport's governing body, and the French Football Federation.
"Barcelona have taken this action in defence of its interests," ran the statement. "That defence will be carried out according to established procedure at the appropriate institutions, without at any time entering into any dialectical battles with the player."
Neymar signed a new contract with Barcelona last year to run until 2021, with a buy-out clause worth £198m, that PSG met. Contained within the contract was a bonus payment and that, according to The Guardian, is "the focus of a standoff between Neymar and his former club".
They want it repaid but the striker is in fact "demanding another bonus related to his contract renewal worth a reported €26m". That amount, said to be in recognition of Neymar's "loyalty" was paid to a lawyer and not the player himself, in case he took the money and ran.
Having seen the player leave the club, Barcelona "have recuperated that money, preventing it from reaching the player". But Neymar is demanding the second bonus because it was payable after July 31, at which point he was still with Barcelona, where he remained for a further three days before signing for PSG.
