PSG Desperate to Sell Neymar This Summer as Brazil Star Pushes Back Against French Exit, Reports Say
10:07 GMT 23.06.2022 (Updated: 11:45 GMT 10.12.2022)
© AP Photo / Michel Euler
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Ever since Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Champions League defeat in March, heads have continued to roll at the club. Sporting director Leonardo Nascimento de Araujo has already left the French outfit and coach Mauricio Pochettino is also reportedly on his way out. However, Neymar could be the biggest casualty at the Parc des Princes this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are desperate to sell Neymar this summer if a bid that matches his financial valuation comes from a European club. But the Brazil international has already started a major pushback against any such deal, Spanish outlet Marca and football website Goal.com reported.
Neymar arrived at the club from Barcelona back in 2018 on a world-record transfer fee of $264 million in a bid to help the Ligue 1 giants to their maiden Champions League title.
But five years have passed and PSG's players are yet to lay their hands on the elusive continental title.
Additionally, PSG's finances have taken a major hit after the French giants inked a mega-million dollar agreement with Kylian Mbappe last month.
Reportedly, the deal with the World Cup winner has cost the Parisians a whopping $400 million and they now want to recover some of that amount by offloading Neymar during the summer transfer window.
PSG had also promised Mbappe that he would be at the helm of their "sporting project", which gives him absolute authority over hiring and firing at the Parc des Princes.
And this is where the biggest problem lies. As per Goal.com, Mbappe's relationship with Neymar is at its lowest in recent times.
Neymar had a turbulent 2021-22 season with PSG as he was dogged by an ankle injury for nearly three months, making him unavailable for a significant portion of the club's campaign.
Besides, Neymar has lacked to lift the spirits in the camp, especially in big games in the Champions League, and his top bosses in the French capital, including club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi now believe that it was time to let him go and bring in a young world-class striker to team up with Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
"We want young, talented, committed players with a winning mentality, people who want to die for this badge. We want to be stronger collectively, to play as a team and for the club to be above all," Al-Khelaifi told MARCA.
Despite overwhelming opinions against his stay in Paris, Neymar is reportedly digging his heels to stop his impending departure from the club.
What is aiding him in his pursuit is the enormous fee the 30-year-old still commands.
While there's little doubt that no club in the world would be willing to acquire his services for the $264 million that PSG paid to Barcelona five years ago, even finding a buyer for him would be a monumental challenge for PSG at this hour.
The only club that perhaps has the financial heft to purchase him is Newcastle, but whether the Magpies will be willing to fork out such a large sum on a player whose form and fitness have been questionable is anybody's guess at the moment.
Neymar, however, isn't interested in a move to the Premier League, taking this prospect out of the picture.
A move to the La Liga is also unlikely, considering Barcelona's finances are in a mess and Real Madrid would not want to sign a footballer who has spent a considerable amount of time at Camp Nou, given the history between the two clubs.
Neymar arrived at the club from Barcelona back in 2018 on a world-record transfer fee of $264 million in a bid to help the Ligue 1 giants to their maiden Champions League title.
But five years have passed and PSG's players are yet to lay their hands on the elusive continental title.
Additionally, PSG's finances have taken a major hit after the French giants inked a mega-million dollar agreement with Kylian Mbappe last month.
Reportedly, the deal with the World Cup winner has cost the Parisians a whopping $400 million and they now want to recover some of that amount by offloading Neymar during the summer transfer window.
PSG had also promised Mbappe that he would be at the helm of their "sporting project", which gives him absolute authority over hiring and firing at the Parc des Princes.
And this is where the biggest problem lies. As per Goal.com, Mbappe's relationship with Neymar is at its lowest in recent times.
Neymar had a turbulent 2021-22 season with PSG as he was dogged by an ankle injury for nearly three months, making him unavailable for a significant portion of the club's campaign.
Besides, Neymar has lacked to lift the spirits in the camp, especially in big games in the Champions League, and his top bosses in the French capital, including club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi now believe that it was time to let him go and bring in a young world-class striker to team up with Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
"We want young, talented, committed players with a winning mentality, people who want to die for this badge. We want to be stronger collectively, to play as a team and for the club to be above all," Al-Khelaifi told MARCA.
Despite overwhelming opinions against his stay in Paris, Neymar is reportedly digging his heels to stop his impending departure from the club.
What is aiding him in his pursuit is the enormous fee the 30-year-old still commands.
While there's little doubt that no club in the world would be willing to acquire his services for the $264 million that PSG paid to Barcelona five years ago, even finding a buyer for him would be a monumental challenge for PSG at this hour.
The only club that perhaps has the financial heft to purchase him is Newcastle, but whether the Magpies will be willing to fork out such a large sum on a player whose form and fitness have been questionable is anybody's guess at the moment.
Neymar, however, isn't interested in a move to the Premier League, taking this prospect out of the picture.
A move to the La Liga is also unlikely, considering Barcelona's finances are in a mess and Real Madrid would not want to sign a footballer who has spent a considerable amount of time at Camp Nou, given the history between the two clubs.
