Neymar may be headed to Saudi Arabia.
Loic Tanzi, a reporter for France’s ‘L’Equipe’ who is familiar with the French transfer market, said on the 13th (KST), “Neymar has agreed to a two-year contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. He will receive a total of 160 million euros (approximately 23.32 billion won) for two years. It is now up to PSG and Al-Hilal to finalize the transfer. Neymar’s departure seems certain six years after his arrival,” the report said.
PSG has invested astronomical amounts of money since being acquired by Qatar Sports Investment Authority (QSI) in 2011. The club’s first big splurge in the European transfer market was the signing of Neymar. Neymar, who was developing into one of the best players in the world while playing alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona, was purchased for €222 million.
Since 2017, Neymar has made 173 appearances for PSG. His 118 goals and 77 assists put his offensive numbers on another level, but he spent nearly half of each season on the sidelines due to nagging injuries. Compare that to his time at Barcelona, where he played 186 games in four seasons.
As a result, Neymar didn’t achieve what he wanted. He chose to move to PSG to get away from Lionel Messi’s ferocity, but neither Neymar nor PSG were able to conquer Europe. In the 2019-20 season, they reached the final of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in a shortened season due to COVID-19, but fell to Bayern Munich 0-1. Aside from that season, Neymar and PSG have never reached the UCL final.
Neymar’s personal accolades have also been shabby. After winning the Ballon d’Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2015 and 2017, Neymar’s Ballon d’Or performance has plummeted since 2018.
Still, at the beginning of the transfer window, there was talk that Neymar would stay. That’s because Neymar himself talked about staying at PSG. He said, “I hope to stay at PSG. I have a contract with the club and no one has said anything to me so far. Even if I am not loved by the fans and players, I will stay at PSG,” showing his loyalty to the club, but reversing his decision.
Neymar asked PSG for a transfer shortly after returning from the Japan-South Korea preseason tour. PSG also decided to sell Neymar. There was talk of a return to Barcelona, but Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal began to lure him with money. 꽁머니지급
European transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that “Al-Hilal have made a significant offer for Neymar. Sources have described it as a ‘huge bid’. Negotiations are ongoing to reach a full agreement and Neymar is tempted by the possibility. Work is underway to part ways with PSG. Neymar and Al Hilal are in advanced talks. We have already delivered official documents to the player’s side. “, the report said.
The deal between Neymar and Al Hilal was finalized quickly. The transfer fee is the key, but Al Hilal are not a team short of money. PSG are also keen to sell Neymar, so they are unlikely to demand a high transfer fee.