The whole story began with an interview (on June 21) with the president of PSG, the Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaifi, to the Spanish newspaper Marca, which left Neymar’s future open with the current French champions. The attacking midfielder felt discredited and would have been very dissatisfied with the statement.
Since then, the Brazilian national team star began to be monitored by other European football giants and, on 6/28, it was reported by the Spanish newspaper El País that PSG informed him that he was no longer part of the club’s plans. But where would the number 10 go? And what are the reasons for his departure?
Where is Neymar going?
As soon as the rumors about Neymar’s departure from PSG started, the 30-year-old ace began to have his name linked to important clubs in European football. Back to Spain? Go to England? Go back to Brazil? What will he do?
However, several clubs could stop being interested in the player due to the fact that he has the “burned film” in the matter of indiscipline. He has been dealing with this fame for most of his career, but his good performances on the field have always silenced critics to this day and, in any case, that doesn’t seem to hinder him when it comes to signing a new club.
Interested European clubs
One of Neymar’s likely destinations, if he really leaves PSG, could be England. At a charity event held recently in Recife, defender Thiago Silva, of the Brazilian national team, asked Chelsea to hire his former teammate. And, according to British newspaper The Sun, Newcastle must offer PSG €80 million for the striker.
The newspaper Sport, also said in a recent report, that the coach of Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, asked the ace of the Brazilian team as a replacement for the Argentine Dybala, who said goodbye to the team. The newspaper El País has published a few times that his big dream is to return to Barcelona, where he shone between 2013 and 2017.
Return to Brazil?
Despite all his controversies, Neymar is still considered one of the best players in the world. This, of course, makes it very difficult for Brazilian clubs to compete for the signing of an athlete of this caliber with the biggest clubs in the world. But Santos seems willing to try to do the “impossible”.
“Until innocence, we don’t do something about Neymar. There are ways to do it… there are many things I can’t talk about, it’s strategy”, said Andres Rueda, president of Santos, in a video circulated on June 29.
Defended by Tite
Coach Tite, of the Brazilian national team, came to Neymar’s defense in a recently published CBF podcast. If for many he is an undisciplined player, for the national team coach, he is nothing wrong.
“Neymar is not a problem, he is a solution”, commented the coach of the only five-time champion team in the world, who said he intends to use him in the central part of the field instead of putting him to play in the “wings”.
Possible reasons for the end of the “marriage”
According to the report by El País, which reported that Neymar was leaving the French club, star Kylian Mbappé would have highlighted an alleged indiscipline of the Brazilian player during training and recovery from injuries. He would also have said that he would only renew with PSG if the Brazilian did not remain in the team. All this was later denied.
Another reason for the possible departure would be a new squad mentality sought by the French board, which seeks younger and more “committed” players with the team. The fact is that Neymar went from “king” of PSG to disposable player since he arrived at the club, in 2017, in the biggest transfer in the history of world football.
