Report: Neymar close to signing 2-year, €200M deal with Al-Hilal
Neymar is on the verge of leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian is nearing an agreement with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal over a two-year contract worth €100 million per season, sources told Julien Laurens of ESPN. PSG want an €80-million transfer fee for the 31-year-old, and negotiations between the two clubs are progressing well, Laurens adds.
Neymar reportedly informed PSG of his desire to leave the French capital this week, and it's long been suggested that the Ligue 1 outfit would like to offload the oft-injured star.
PSG won't stand in his way, with his departure described by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano as a "work in progress." A source close to the negotiations told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the attacker is "probably leaving" while he "no longer figures in the club or manager's plans" in Paris.
PSG, seemingly undergoing an identity transformation after years of pandering to their star players, lost Lionel Messi on a free transfer to Inter Miami earlier in the window. Meanwhile, the contract standoff with Kylian Mbappe rumbles on, though the two sides appear close to mending their relationship after positive talks over the weekend.
PSG have signed Goncalo Ramos on an initial loan from Benfica and landed French winger Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona, perhaps in anticipation of Neymar following Messi out the door in the near future.
Al-Hilal switched gears to focus on Neymar after Mbappe refused to negotiate with officials of the Saudi team earlier this summer. PSG reportedly accepted a world-record €300-million bid for Mbappe last month, but the Frenchman made it clear he wasn't interested in making the move to the Middle East. Neymar appears far more open to the idea.
The Brazilian, who joined PSG from Barcelona for a world-record €222-million fee in 2017, is under contract with the Ligue 1 giants until 2025. He wasn't in the squad for PSG's season-opening draw with Lorient. The official reason for his absence was a "viral syndrome."
His PSG spell has been blighted by a variety of injuries. Neymar underwent right ankle surgery in March, and only rejoined the team during its preseason tour of Asia.
He's been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona this summer; Barca captain Sergi Roberto recently said he discussed that possibility with his former teammate. Should he go elsewhere, which now seems likely, Barcelona could rekindle their interest in Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, according to Romano.