Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea were reportedly among the clubs to turn down the chance to sign Neymar this summer.
The Brazilian forward is now set to leave Paris Saint-Germain for a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in a €90million deal, but it seems he was eager to stay in Europe.
This is according to a report in the Independent, who state that Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were all offered the chance to sign Neymar, but rejected the opportunity due to the high transfer fee and wages.
The report adds that Barcelona were keen to re-sign Neymar on loan, but the 31-year-old is now heading out of Europe instead.
Barca would have had to offload as many as four players to make a deal for Neymar financially realistic, and it seems he’s now somewhat reluctantly agreed to move to Al Hilal, according to the Independent.
It’s quite a shock to see such an elite player leaving Europe before he’s even close to retirement age, but it’s also fair to say he’s not been at his best for a while now, so it’s not surprising he didn’t convince decision-makers at United and other top clubs.
Erik ten Hag needs to rebuild after a difficult few years with big-name flops like Paul Pogba having a negative effect on team spirit at the club.