Reports in Spain claim that Barcelona superstar Neymar has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, the Brazilian met with PSG owner Al-Nasser Al-Khelaifi in Ibiza a couple of weeks ago and those negotiations set the foundations for this blockbuster deal.
AS understands that PSG are willing to trigger Neymar’s massive £153m release clause before the player has a chance to extend his contract at the Camp Nou, which expires in the summer of 2018.
He has plenty of Brazilian friends at PSG – Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Lucas Moura and Maxwell – but an agreement to allegedly double his annual earnings to £50m, including a basic wage of £40m a year, will also have helped persuade Neymar to join the Ligue 1 champions next summer.
AS reports that Neymar views leaving Barcelona as a crucial step to him becoming the world’s best footballer, as he will always be in the shadow of Lionel Messi while at the Catalonia club.
And PSG are looking for a new marquee player as Zlatan Ibrahimovic prepares to leave at the end of his contract in June, following four prolific and productive years helping to raise PSG’s stature.
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