A deal for Neymar hasn’t been fully agreed upon but Barça are satisfied with how negotiations have begun in Paris.
And this is mainly because one key component has been agreed today: players will be included in part-exchange for Neymar. The most likely names who will head to Paris are Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic. This comes after Barça removed Dembele and Semedo from the negotiating table as both are viewed as key squad members next season.
The various names and combinations have been a problem throughout negotiations. Barça offered up Coutinho and PSG, via Leonardo, asked for the Croatian. Rakitic has been a popular name at the club for a while now and a €90m move fell through at the end of last summer.
With that part of the deal practically complete, the next sticking point is the amount of cash included in the transfer. That and, of course, Rakitic and Coutinho agreeing on personal terms to sign for PSG.