First it was Lionel Messi, then Kylian Mbappe made a decision that would affect his immediate future at PSG, and now Neymar could be on his way out of the French champions after his preferred playing destination was revealed.
The Brazilian hasn’t had the best time of it lately in the French capital, with injuries blighting his season in 2022/23.
As PSG look to change focus from the big names, it seems to be an opportune time for the player to look to move to pastures new, and the Ligue Un giants certainly won’t stand in his way.
‘What’s next for Neymar? I told you that he would love to return to Barcelona, but at the moment, the operation to go to Barça has not started yet, because they have to decide internally whether they want to proceed or not. Xavi Hernandez, the staff, the board, they have to decide all together on Neymar,’ transfer specialist, Fabrizio Romano, wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside Substack.
‘[…] There is interest from MLS, it’s true, concrete interest especially from Los Angeles some sources say, so keep an eye on the MLS option too. Also, some Saudi clubs started to approach Neymar but again, it’s not something advanced. Sources from Chelsea and Man United are not confirming the rumours at the moment either.’
The issue for the player isn’t just the fact that Barcelona, as an entity, need to decide if the deal is the best thing for them, but there’s also the question of transfer fee and salary.
Neymar is unlikely to be sold on the cheap and Barca’s financial issues are well documented, and that’s before taking into account his weekly earnings of €1,083,846 per Capology.
There’s a lot of hurdles to cross before that potential deal could become a reality, and is potentially why the other teams from MLS, Saudi and the Premier League are tentatively looking at how the situation develops.
With a few weeks left until the closure of the window, don’t be surprised if this one is still rumbling along until deadline day.