La Liga claim they will block Neymar's transfer from Barcelona to PSG as they accuse French giants of 'financial doping'

LFP president Javier Tebas says he will report the Qatari-owned club to Uefa over a possible financial fair play breach

Wednesday 02 August 2017 10:03

Neymar missed Barcelona training on Wednesday morning as his move to PSG moved closer

(AFP/Getty)

La Liga say they will attempt to block Neymar's transfer to PSG, claiming that their bid of €220m (£198m) for the Barcelona forward is in breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

The Brazilian missed training on Wednesday morning and said goodbye to his Barca teammates as his blockbuster move drew nearer.

While PSG have met Neymar's release clause with their world record bid, it now appears there may be one final hurdle for the French giants to navigate.

Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) president Javier Tebas has accused PSG of "financial doping", claiming the club has raised money for the Neymar transfer direct from its Qatari owners rather than through standalone profits.

When asked whether it was embarrassing for La Liga to be stripped of one of its most recognisable assets, Tebas claimed the league would "not accept" the money from PSG.

"The problem is not that LaLiga is a great championship, which is what it is," Tebas told AS.

PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

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1/11PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Goalkeeper – Kevin Trapp

Kevin Trapp joined PSG from Eintracht Frankfurt for around £8.5million in 2015. The German kept 16 clean sheets in his second in France.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Right-back – Dani Alves

Dani Alves considered joining Manchester City and Chelsea before completing a move to the French capital on a free transfer after being released by Juventus.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Centre-back – Marquinhos

Marquinho’s £27million move to PSG from Roma made him the then third most expensive teenager in world football. He joined to partner international college Thiago Silva.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Centre-back – Thiago Silva

PSG’s big money spending started with Thiago Silva who was bought for around £33million just 12 days after agreeing a contract extension with AC Milan. Silva captains the Brazilian national team and has 63 caps.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Left-back – Layvin Kurzawa

The 24-year-old may only have seven France caps to his name, but there was a reason why PSG were so determined to raid Monaco two years ago to bring him to the Parc des Princes. He has helped ease the departure of Lucas Digne, as well as the transition of replacing Maxwell in the starting line-up.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Midfield – Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti has been at PSG since 2012 and has been compared to Andrea Pirlo. The Italian has been increasingly linked with a move to Barcelona but the PSG hierarchy are determined to keep hold of him.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Midfield – Blaise Matuidi

Blaise Matuidi has been a key player for PSG for a long time and has worked his way to becoming an integral part of the French national setup. Matuidi is a strong tackler and a powerful box-to-box midfielder.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Midfield – Julian Draxler

Julian Draxler may have to adopt a deeper role at PSG if he is to continue playing in the first team following Neymar’s arrival. The German joined PSG in January and played on the left-wing in most matches.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Right-wing – Angel Di Maria

A player which defines Louis van Gaal’s time at Manchester United, Angel Di Maria did not live up to the bill when he joined United for £59.7million, the highest fee paid by an English team at the time. He has since found his feet in France and looks more like the high-rated player that was sold by Real Madrid.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Striker – Edinson Cavani

Edinson Cavani joined PSG for an eye-watering €63million from Napoli. The Uruguayan scores for fun in domestic matches but struggles to take the same kind of chances in the Champions League.

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PSG's probable starting XI with Neymar

Left-wing – Neymar

Neymar’s move from Barcelona could redefine the transfer market. The reported £200million smashes any previous records as PSG aggressively pursue Champions League glory. Estimated cost in transfer fees: £434,000,000

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"The problem is that Neymar is being taken by a financially-doped team that competes with an advantage.

"The problem is the state-backed clubs, they need to be stopped."

As well as the possible FFP breach, Tebas claimed earlier this week that the player's 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona is still subject to legal wrangling.

"Even if PSG do not meet [Neymar's] release clause we are going to report them [to Uefa]," Tebas told the Catalan newspaper Sport on Tuesday.

"We have already warned the president of Paris Saint-Germain that we would do so and we see that PSG's policy has continued in the same manner.

"They cannot invent some numbers where their commercial rights exceed those of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Nobody believes that."

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