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Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has said Real Madrid president Florentino Perez needs to be questioned about Neymar’s future in France, as speculation surrounding the Brazil international grows.
The world transfer record signing has seen his Ligue 1 campaign prematurely come to an end, and he might have played his last game for his club if Real have their way.
Per Jamie Smith of Goal, Emery said:
“I think I have answered questions on [Neymar’s future] about 30 times in press conferences.
“The PSG project is very strong with Neymar in it.
“As for Real Madrid? I don’t know, ask Florentino.“
Francois Mori/Associated Press
Spanish newspaper Sport (h/t MailOnline’s Daniel Matthews) reported Neymar desires a move before the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and has instructed his father to broker a transfer to Real as he wants a swift exit from Paris. A sensational €400 million (£353 million) deal could be struck between the clubs.
AS (h/t Matthews) also reported Neymar could be on his way to the Spanish capital, with Nike ready to help Los Blancos construct a package to capture the iconic former Barcelona forward. Adidas are currently Real’s official kit sponsor, but Nike want to tie up a new partnership with the current European and Spanish champions.
Despite living in Lionel Messi‘s shadow at the Camp Nou, Neymar remained one of Spanish football’s most productive talents.
The attacker scored 68 goals as he formed a trinity with Messi and Luis Suarez in La Liga, providing 52 assists for his team-mates.
Per Goal, Casemiro said his international team-mate is welcome to join him at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium:
Goal @goal
Real Madrid should try to unite Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo next season, says Casemiro https://t.co/ATGJ3EEaop https://t.co/uG7b9LyS8s
According to Matthews, the player has had confrontations with team-mates in France and reacted badly to negative responses from club supporters as PSG crashed out of Europe at the hands of Real.
Neymar’s short love affair appears to be over before it has begun, and PSG could be about to enter a tumultuous period despite being on the brink of capturing Ligue 1.
If he departs, PSG’s marketability and potential to attract star players will dramatically decrease, and the club will be stuck outside of European football’s primary destinations.
Real have struggled in La Liga this season, and with Barca on the brink of becoming Spanish champions, Perez will want to react quickly by sanctioning a big transfer to deflect the attention away from Catalonia.