On Sunday, Neymar was “in negotiations” to become the latest football superstar to go for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just after Kylian Mbappe was re-signed by the French champions.
According to a source close to PSG, Neymar, 31, “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans,” with the Brazilian quickly linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf country.
Another source in Saudi Arabia stated that “direct negotiations” were taking place between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
“If we reach an agreement with him in the coming hours, we would start negotiating with PSG immediately. He would play for Al-Hilal if a deal is sealed,” said the source.
Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for a record 220 million euros ($241 million) from Barcelona. According to several media rumors on Sunday, Al-Hilal would offer around $80 million for the Brazilian.
Al-Hilal launched a 300 million euro bid for Mbappe last month, but the attacker reportedly refused to meet with team officials.
Neymar underwent ankle surgery in early March and returned just to join PSG on their preseason tour of Asia.
His time at PSG has been blighted by a catalogue of injuries.
Despite helping the club reach the 2020 Champions League final, he has frequently been ruled out of crucial games.
If Neymar moves to Saudi Arabia, he will join a growing number of prominent players who have been enticed by the oil-rich kingdom since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in January.
Al-Hilal has generally been one of Saudi Arabia’s premier clubs, having won the Asian Champions League four times.
Al-Hilal Squad
They are coached by Jorge Jesus of Portugal, who is in his second stint at the club, and the roster currently includes four international players who were recently enticed from Europe — Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Neymar’s Brazilian compatriot Malcom.
Neymar’s exit from PSG would follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in the United States.
In a symbol of the Saudis’ growing influence in world football, Roberto Mancini was rumored Sunday to be the man lined up to become the country’s national team manager following his unexpected resignation from European champions Italy.
It has been a rocky build-up to the new Ligue 1 season for champions PSG with both Mbappe and Neymar left out of new coach Luis Enrique’s team for Saturday’s underwhelming opening goalless draw against Lorient.
After being sidelined for several weeks amid an ongoing contract dispute Mbappe watched from the Parc des Princes stands.
But the club’s prize asset is now back in the fold, for the time being at least, said PSG on Sunday.
“After very constructive and positive discussions between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe before the PSG-Lorient match, the player was reinstated in first-team training this morning,” PSG said in a statement.
Mbappe Stand-off
After a summer filled with new arrivals, questions about Neymar’s future, and Messi’s exit, the Mbappe standoff has dominated the headlines.
The France captain has declined to sign a contract extension with PSG, allowing him to depart for free next year, with Real Madrid long considered his favorite destination.
PSG, which is owned by Qatar, wants to sell him now and receive a large transfer fee for a player who cost 180 million euros from Monaco in 2017.
“The position is very clear. If Kylian wants to stay, he must sign a new contract. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi said last month.
Mbappe was not allowed to train with the first team, and he only featured in one of PSG’s five warm-up games. He was also not invited to the pre-season tour in Japan and South Korea.
He sat alongside fellow 2018 World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele, who joined from Barcelona earlier Saturday, as Luis Enrique made six debuts against Lorient.