Nobody forced Neymar to sign for PSG – Al Khelaifi

Neymar was not forced to join Paris Saint-Germain and he understood what he was signing up to, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said amid increased speculation over the Brazil star’s future.

A report in L’Equipe claimed PSG are willing to sell Neymar, though they would not accept less than the world-record €222million fee they paid to sign him from Barcelona in August 2017.

Neymar’s time at PSG has been largely defined by injuries and talk of dressing room discord. He argued with Julian Draxler, who has since played down the incident, and is said to have criticised Presnel Kimpembe and Alphonse Areola in the wake of their Coupe de France final loss to Rennes in April. 

Al-Khelaifi told France Football he will no longer put up with any “celebrity behaviour” at the club.

In the same interview he said of Neymar: “I want players that are ready to give everything to defend the honour of our shirt and who sign up to the club’s project.

“Those who do not want to, or do not understand it, we meet and we speak. There are of course contracts to respect, but the priority now is complete commitment to our project.

“Nobody forced him to sign here. Nobody pushed him to. He came with a full understanding of the cause to sign up to a project.”

Neymar this month suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out of Brazil’s Copa America campaign.

While speculation swirls over Neymar’s future, Al-Khelaifi is adamant PSG will not sell Kylian Mbappe, saying he is 200 per cent sure the France forward will not be leaving.