Paris Saint Germain forward Neymar Jr. has been ordered to pay a huge sum of €6.7 million (£6.1m/$7.5m) to his former club Barcelona, after a judge ruled against him in a bonus dispute between him and the club.
According to reports by ESPN, the Brazilian international had claimed he was owed €43.6m in bonuses by Barcelona.
But a statement from Barcelona’s official website shows the case has been dismissed by the court and Neymar must now pay a fine to his former club.
The statement reads:
“FC Barcelona welcomes the judgment handed down today by the Social Court 15 of Barcelona, in connection with lawsuits between the club and the player Neymar Junior in claiming compensation for the bonus signed in his last contract renewal.
“The judgment dismisses the player’s claim in its entirety, which demanded the payment of €43.6m, and estimates a large part of the claim filed by FC Barcelona, under which the player must return the club €6.7m.”
The statement further disclosed that the 28-year-old star reserves the right to appeal the decision and has five days to do so.
“Since the player’s representative is entitled to appeal this decision, the club shall continue to fervently defend its legitimate interests.”
The legal battle between Neymar and Barcelona began when the player signed a €222m deal with PSG in 2017, after which he demanded Barca pay the rest of his bonus fee.
The Catalan giants responded by charging him to court for a breach of contract and requested the return of €14m already paid to him, as well as €8.5m in damages plus interest.
