Court orders Neymar to pay Barca £6.1m

A Spanish court has ordered Paris St-Germain forward Neymar to pay £6.1m to former club Barcelona.

Neymar, 28, claimed he was owed 43.6m euros in loyalty bonuses by Barcelona, who he left in acrimonious circumstances in August 2017.

But a judge ruled in favour of the Catalan club though Neymar, who filed the lawsuit shortly after the transfer, can appeal against the decision.

Barcelona said they “welcomed” the judgement and would “continue to firmly defend its legitimate interests”.

Neymar also made a complaint to world governing body FIFA after Barcelona refused to pay him following his 222m euros (£200m) move in 2017.

As well as not paying Neymar, Barcelona started legal proceedings against him to pay back £8m he received when he signed a new deal with them in 2016.

FIFA did not intervene in the matter, saying it would leave the case to the courts.

The ruling comes amid reports that the player is keen on a return to the Camp Nou  after spending three years at the French capital.

But experts say Barca may not be able to afford his services owing to the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.