PSG willing to sell Neymar; Brazilian refusing to leave club until he wins UCL

My Football Facts ⇒ Articles

By Martin Graham | 24th Jun 2022

The saga of Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain is set to continue after reports emerged of the club’s willingness to let the Brazilian go this summer for the right price and his defiance at the possibility of leaving.

Neymar has been at PSG since 2017 when he signed from Barcelona for a world-record €222 million fee and has gone on to win a number of titles at the club, scoring over 100 goals. That record sees him as the only player alongside Cristiano Ronaldo to score over 100 goals for three different clubs.

However, he has constantly drawn the ire of fans who believe that he is not dedicated to their cause, especially in Europe where they desperately want to be crowned champions in the UEFA Champions League. Neymar has suffered a myriad of injuries at the club which has seen him play only three years’ worth of games in the five seasons he has been at the club.

His lifestyle, fans and figures at the club believe, is to blame for his constant injuries. While there is no solid proof of this fact, it is an opinion held by many at the club who are looking to part ways with the 30-year-old. It has even been suggested that the club’s signing of Lionel Messi, one of Neymar’s best friends in and outside football, was to help them secure a talent of his level to plug the hole that his exit will create.

The club are now ready to move him on and have even offered him to his former club Barcelona for less than €50 million, which the Catalan giants rejected. However, Neymar, who signed a contract last year to extend his stay at Parc De Princes until 2025, is adamant about seeing out his contract with the Champions League as his main target.

World Cup motivation for Neymar

The Brazilian is also said to be defiant about the situation as he wants to continue playing at PSG with teammates of the highest level due to the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which he has stated will be his last.

He has his sights set on that tournament and wants to play at a high-level club to keep him ready to go all out for Brazil in his final national team outing. PSG, meanwhile, will be faced with another year of Neymar, whose relationship with the fans has almost broken down.

Luckily for the club, Neymar is never far from the spectacular and remains a match-winner, like Kylian Mbappe and Messi, who he will be playing alongside next season. And Wagner Ribeiro, his former agent, clearly states that the player is focused on delivering the Champions League to PSG.

Speaking to GOAL on his former client’s situation, Ribeiro said: “Neymar has a dream: to be champion of the Champions League with PSG. Despite all the rumours regarding a possible exit, he is very motivated and will not stop until he achieves it.”