Barcelona to sue Neymar for 'breach of contract' following £200m move to Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona are to sue former player Neymar £7.8m in damages for an alleged breach of contract following his record £200m move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

The £7.8m fee relates to a 'loyalty bonus' which was included in Neymar's contract, and paid to the player, when he penned a five-year extension in October of last year.

But the Catalans are now seeking to reclaim this bonus after the "unilateral termination of the contract" which enabled Neymar to swap Barcelona for Paris.

Barcelona say that they will ask PSG to pay the compensation if Neymar does not.

The Catalans are also asking for an additional 10 per cent payment due to a delay in their demands being met, which they presented to the forward on 11 August.

“FC Barcelona has sent to the Royal Spanish Football Federation the labour demand that on 11 August was filed against the player Neymar Jr before the Social Court of Barcelona, ​​to transfer it to the French Football Federation and Fifa, to the appropriate legal effects," a club statement said.

“In this lawsuit, the club claims to the player the amount already settled corresponding to the renewal premium for breach of contract; €8.5m euros in damages; and an additional 10% in arrears. The club also claims that the Paris Saint-Germain subsidiarily assumes payment of these amounts in case the player can not take over.

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“FC Barcelona has promoted these actions in defence of its interests, after a unilateral termination of the contract urged by Neymar Jr, a few months after the signature of its renewal until 2021. This defence will be exercised following the established procedures before the Competent bodies and without entering, in any case, in dialectical disputes with the player.”

The Brazilian signed for the Ligue 1 club in controversial circumstances following La Liga's attempts to block the transfer.

In Spain, a release clause can only be activated by a player buying himself out of his contract.

But when Neymar's lawyers attempted to make the deposit, La Liga officials rejected the payment.

La Liga accused PSG of violating Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and Barcelona previously said they would report the French side to Uefa for a FFP breach.

PSG hit back, arguing that La Liga was acting unlawfully in attempting to block the deal, while the French league (LFP) urged its Spanish counterpart to "abide by the Fifa rules".

Neymar's representatives paid the £200m fee at Barca's offices instead, circumventing La Liga completely.

But Barcelona are now attempting to take legal action against their former player - though it's currently unclear if Neymar and his representatives will agree to meet the club's demands.

On the pitch, Neymar has made a strong start to life in France. He notably scored twice and provided two assists on Sunday evening during his home debut against Toulouse.