Having not in fact been on Real Madrid's transfer wishlist this summer, there is now a real possibility that Neymar could go to the Bernabéu.
Neymar wasn't on Real Madrid's wishlist this summer, yet there is now a very real possibility that, rather than rejoining Barcelona, the Paris Saint-Germain forward could end up making a sensational switch to the Blaugrana's arch rivals.
Here are the three ways Los Blancos could sign the Brazil international:
Season-long loan deal
Both PSG and Neymar's camp are open to the idea, with a loan move seen as a platform on which the 27-year-old could re-establish himself as a top performer and boost his transfer value. However, AS understands Madrid have absolutely no interest in doing such a deal, not least because of how expensive it would be despite being a season-long agreement.
Indeed, it is estimated it would cost 115m euros in all. Madrid would have to stump up a loan fee proportionate to the amount PSG paid to buy the star and the duration of his contract they signed him to. As he moved to Paris on a five-year deal, they would be looking at a bill for one fifth of 222m: 45m. On top of that, there would be his annual, pre-tax wages of around 70m.
Delayed payment
This is also an approach that would involve Neymar playing for Real Madrid on loan, but only initially: unlike the scenario above, this temporary agreement would include a clause requiring Los Merengues to buy the player outright in 12 months' time.
This would be a way of 'disguising' the deal so that whatever transfer fee is agreed between the two clubs goes into the LaLiga giants' accounts for next year, in the process allowing Madrid - who have already shelled out 298m on summer signings - to sidestep any possible breaches of UEFA's 'financial fair play' rules this summer.
Part-exchange deal
There are reports that both Madrid and Barça are looking to include players as makeweights, in a bid to bring the price of the move down. In Catalonia, Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembélé, Nelson Semedo and Jean-Clair Todibo have all been tipped to go to Paris, while James Rodríguez, Gareth Bale and Keylor Navas are the favouites to be offered in part-exchange by Madrid.
Although such a course of action is a possibility, it poses the drawback of requiring the successful completion of negotiations on an increased number of fronts.