Neymar is quite rightly carefully been weighing up his next move.
After all, this is a man who cares greatly about the perception surrounding him, and his next big decision could be the one to define his legacy.
The summer transfer window might be shut, but the most expensive player in the world may still make a move to his old club Barcelona or their fierce rivals, Real Madrid. For now, however, he remains with Paris Saint-Germain. Thee’s also been mention of a switch to Juventus, but that seems even less likely from a punter’s perspective.
A football betting man might just put his stake on Barcelona. After all, the Spanish team are keen to secure their target and have put in a £130 mullion bid to secure him. They were even willing to offer Ousmane Dembele and Ivan Rakitic in exchange. That adds up to a staggering £182 million in value. PSG, however, paid £199.5 million and want back every penny.
The biggest transfer saga might have come to its end in disappointment – at least Neymar and Barcelona’s – but PSG will be happy to have stood their ground and proved they are no pushovers when it comes to transfer dealings.
Neymar ‘likes’ his ex teammates
One or two strong hints aside, Neymar has remained tight-lipped by his standards. It does seem, however, that he would prefer a move away from Paris.
Numerous reports have come out suggesting that someone in Neymar’s camp is letting the press know that he wants a change. Reports from the Spanish media claim that Neymar liking Instagram posts from ex-Barcelona teammates could be his way of giving a sign of wanting to rejoin his old club.
Neymar scored over 100 goals in La Liga and helped Barcelona win the treble in 2015, which included scoring in the final of the Champions League. He was nearing the peak of his career and on the way to becoming a true Barca legend. Some believed that Neymar had made the move to Paris for financial reasons.
After all, he ranks No. 3 on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in the world in 2019, with a five-year contract worth $350 million in salary. Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi earn more.
Unfulfilled expectations
Another reason given for Neymar’s move to Paris was him wanting a new challenge.
He’s been open about wanting to be the world’s best player. Right now, he’s seen as ranking behind Ronaldo and Messi in that category, too. If Neymar’s move to Paris was meant to take him to the very top of the game, it wasn’t a successful one. While he scored goals and won two titles with PSG, that was expected from a football club whose spending far outweighed its rivals in Ligue 1. With Neymar in the side, PSG hasn’t even reached the Champions League final, never mind lift the cup.
Neymar has been left out of the squad early this season, as speculation continued to swirl about his PSG future. Those issues aside, Neymar is still one of the world’s best players, which is why he’s attracting attention from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barcelona have no shortage of potent forwards, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing Neymar.
Neymar will be 28-years-old at season end and should be on the top of his game. Ronaldo is 34 and Messi is 32. If Neymar can play at the highest level on a consistent basis and win both domestically and in Europe, he could be the world’s best player in the next few seasons. Ultimately, while money may well be a motivating factor for the player, it’s that status that really matters to him. PSG seem reluctant to let Neymar go for less than the price tag they’ve labelled on him.
If the payer is determined to leave, however, there will likely be a deal made. Barcelona did bring Antoine Griezmann and De Jong, spending quite a lot of money on these two. However, they will be back for their former superstar!
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
