Barcelona's signing of Neymar this summer is a delicate game of chess, that demands every move made to be measured to its finest detail.
The complications have already shown themselves. When progress appears to be being made, things recede and when it seems as though Barcelona are edging closer to bringing Neymar back to the Camp Nou, something happens that knocks them back a few steps.
Each of the three positions are clear. Paris Saint-Germain have opened the door, as have Barcelona, and Neymar wants to pass through both and make his return.
In Paris, they believe that the Brazilian isn't needed for them to continue their project and that Kylian Mbappe is a more important asset.
But the reality remains that PSG would rather sell him to anyone other than the Catalans, as the pair maintain a toxic relationship that dates back further than his 2017 move.
Neymar himself is measuring every step he takes, which isn't something he's used to doing. He asked the club to sell him before the Copa America, thereby initiating the whole saga. He's been clear that he wants to move, and even commented this week that his best memory in football was delivering the humiliating comeback to PSG when he played for Barcelona.
The cost is another factor, and there's not much of an economic margin to operate within. The parties are talking, but it's hard to facilitate any compromise, meaning players could be on offer in the opposite direction.
Do PSG want players? Which ones? Do those players want to go to PSG? Are they part of the same deal or as individual signings? What do Barcelona do to balance the signing? Would Ousmane Dembele move? How will they manage the salary cap? Do other teams want Neymar?
A number of questions, clearly, still need answering. It's said that news is expected in "two or three weeks", but that's asking for a lot.
Ronekprsu
103
As FC Barcelona fan, I will say that Barcelona should set their priorities right, and they must know what they want. If they want Neymar they should bring out money and buy him, rather than humiliating other great players, saying they want to include them to facilitate the Neymar signing. Coutino is a good player if he plays his original position, and Dembele is also a great player, if the coach stop hating his player. And both Coutino and Dembele must play with Messi and the other players. And the coach must know how to use the players; no was not there when Barca got to the semi final last season, and it was the inexperience of the coach that led to the lost.