Why Neymar really is worth £240million as Barcelona and Real Madrid go head to head in biggest transfer ever

NEYMAR is set to smash his own staggering £198million transfer record this summer – and experts have revealed how he's worth EVERY penny.

Former club Barcelona and Spanish rivals Real Madrid are desperately scrapping over a deal for the Brazilian superstar worth £265m.

Neymar has reportedly told PSG he doesn't want to play for them ever again two years after his £198m world-record move.

And his rumoured fee this summer seems especially high given Neymar’s recent injuries and question marks about behaviour, temperament and his fondness for partying.

But Remiqz, a Dutch business which analyses transfer values, says the sky-high figures being discussed could be realistic.

HOW MUCH IS NEYMAR WORTH?

According to Remiqz’s model, when Neymar moved to PSG in 2017 his total value was an amazing £285m.

That combines an on-pitch value of £123m and an off-pitch value of £162m.

Now, according to Remiqz, if Neymar were to move from PSG to Real Madrid his on-pitch value would be £73m and his off-pitch value £163m. That's a total value of almost £240m.

Robert Slijk, Remiqz managing director, said Neymar’s on-pitch value declined since joining PSG due to factors including getting older – he's now 27 – and injuries.

Neymar's huge social media following – 121m accounts on Instagram, 43.6m on Twitter and 60m on Facebook – means his off-pitch value remains exceptionally high.

That sort of reach can be converted into serious money for whichever club he's with, through deals with new sponsors and other commercial partners.

In the 2019 Deloitte Football Money League report, published in January, PSG moved up one place to sixth position.

COMMERCIAL VALUE CALCULATED

Along with his talent and goal scoring record, a key factor is the Brazilian’s massive commercial pulling power, driven in large part by his following on social media.

Remiqz, which works with Dutch heavyweight Ajax, advises clubs and agents in Europe on key decisions like player transfers.

Remiqz has developed a way to calculate a player’s commercial or ‘off-pitch’ value in addition to his ‘on-pitch’ value.

The business measures a player’s off-pitch value by analysing his social media presence, together with other factors like his age and nationality, and the club looking to buy him.

A player’s on-pitch value is generated by looking at his performance stats and what sort of success he could bring to a club.

NEYMAR'S IMPACT ON REAL PROFILE

The high-profile signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe helped increase the club’s commercial revenue by 14 per cent to around £278m in 2017-18.

“Nowadays, everybody talks about Paris Saint-Germain,” says Slijk. “They have got a lot of new followers, including from South America.

“They have other players from South America, but Neymar’s following around the world would still help grow Real Madrid’s fan base and its sponsorship income.

“Plus, simply having the most expensive player in the world in their team would increase the brand value of Real Madrid.”

Slijk says a player’s commercial potential is playing an increasingly important role in the calculation of his transfer value.

If Neymar were to sign for Real Madrid, the club would also benefit from his huge social media presence. Neymar’s following around the world would still help grow Real Madrid’s fan base and its sponsorship income."

Remiqz analyse a player’s presence on social media to value their commercial worth.

“In our model, it also has to do with the frequency of the posts, a player’s reach, and the type of followers he has and their levels of engagement,” he says.

MARKET LEADER RONALDO

Neymar's valuation is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in Remiqz’s models.

Ronaldo has 157m followers on Instagram, 76.9m on Twitter, together with 122.4m likes on Facebook.

The Portuguese superstar, signed for £99m by Juventus last year, is valued at £211 by Remiqz for off-pitch worth alone.

Combined with an on-pitch valuation of £68m, his total value is an eye-watering £279m.

Despite the rape allegation that he strenuously denies, his following on social media has continued to grow.

KPMG: NEYMAR IS WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE

Through its Football Benchmark tool, KPMG value Neymar at £197m – the highest in the world.

KPMG, which began providing transfer value estimates last September, update values before and after each summer transfer window, and at the beginning of the winter window.

KPMG’s global head of sports, Andrea Sartori, said: “Neymar’s value is given by his consistent on-pitch performance, relatively young age and long contract still in place with PSG."

KPMG’s Football Benchmark takes into account a player’s commercial value, although it doesn’t provide separate on-pitch and off-pitch values.

“We consider social media followers in our total valuations for players because of the commercial potential that brings,” he says.

Neymar’s value is given by his consistent on-pitch performance, relatively young age and long contract still in place with PSG."

“We look at the number of followers and also which country they are in.”

Switzerland-based CIES Football Observatory believes Neymar’s value has dipped significantly since he joined PSG.

The company values Neymar at £139m compared with £186m in March 2018 – a drop of 25 per cent.

The company updates its values for players every month.

Raffaele Poli, head and founder of the CIES Football Observatory, says the CIES Football Observatory doesn’t take into account a player’s commercial value directly.

“We focus on the criteria that could increase a fee, which relates to what happens on the pitch,” he says.

“A big fee is always due to on-pitch factors.”

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