Neymar, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, has reportedly agreed to a lucrative summer transfer to Saudi Arabian heavyweights Al-Hilal.
Last season, he thrived as part of the legendary front three with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe before his season was cut short due to a catastrophic ankle injury.
Neymar, whose contract with PSG expires in 2025, was initially regarded as the least likely of the trio to go, with Messi departing for MLS club Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, Mbappe’s future has gotten significantly more attention than Neymar’s when the Frenchman initially refused to extend his contract beyond 2024, raising speculation that he will be sold this summer.
Mbappe, on the other hand, is thought to be open to a contract extension after being re-integrated into first-team training, which might allow Neymar to take on a new challenge abroad.
The speculation about a possible move to the riches of Saudi Arabia has intensified in recent days, and according to L’Equipe – through The Mirror – Neymar has now agreed to a transfer to Al-Hilal.
According to the source, the ex-Barcelona player would sign a two-year contract with Al-Hilal at £150 million each year, although the Saudi Arabian club has yet to agree on a fee with PSG.
The French champions are willing to endure a hefty financial damage after spending a world-record £198 million to buy the attacker in 2017, and a cost of £70 million could suffice.
Neymar’s father had previously dismissed his son’s prospects of leaving the Parc des Princes in the summer, but the forward was left out of PSG’s opening Ligue 1 stalemate with Lorient on Saturday, along with a slew of other undesirable talents.
The Brazil international appears set to depart the French city after directly contributing to 195 goals in 173 games for Les Parisiens in all competitions, scoring 118 and setting up 77 more.
Neymar has won five Ligue 1 titles with PSG, but he has yet to help Les Parisiens win a Champions League trophy and has missed a significant amount of time due to injury.
The South American had 18 goals and 17 assists in his first 29 games of the 2022-23 season, but his strong start was cut short by a season-ending ankle injury in February.
PSG have signed Goncalo Ramos, Marco Asensio, and Lee Kang-in to their forward ranks ahead of Neymar’s probable exit, while also invoking the £6m buyback provision in Xavi Simons’ PSV Eindhoven agreement before loaning him out to RB Leipzig.
Les Parisiens are also thought to be working on a deal to sign Lyon starlet Bradley Barcola, despite the fact that Mauro Icardi has left permanently for Galatasaray and Hugo Ekitike has been demoted to train with the “undesirables” by new head coach Luis Enrique.
When PSG travels to Toulouse next Saturday, they will be looking for their second Ligue 1 victory of the season.
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