Neymar is ready to leave PSG this summer despite still having four years remaining on his contract, sources told ESPN, and the club is willing to let him go if the right offer materializes.
The Ligue 1 champions tried to find him a club last summer but could not get any real offers for their No. 10. The superstar, who turned 31 in February and is recovering from ankle surgery, didn’t want to leave the French capital at that time, but sources said he has changed his mind in recent weeks and has opened the door to a possible departure.
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Approximately 50 PSG ultras showed up at Neymar’s house last week demanding that he leave the club. Sources said Neymar had a change of heart on whether or not he wanted to stay in Paris, while adding he doesn’t feel welcome anymore and thinks that it would be better to play somewhere else next season.
Sources said that the Brazil international would prefer a move to the Premier League, home to the few teams that could afford to pay Neymar’s salary of €40 million per year and cover what would likely be a large transfer fee.
PSG paid Barcelona a €222m release clause in the summer of 2017 to get Neymar to the Parc des Princes, and sources said the Parisians would be accommodating on the structure of a deal with a loan including an option to make any move permanent on the table if it would help move the player on.
PSG chairman Nasser al Khelaifi met with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in February to discuss a possible deal for Neymar between the two clubs. The two have spoken since about Neymar, according to sources, who added that Boehly is a big fan of Neymar’s and would like to see him at Stamford Bridge.
Neymar would not consider a return to his native Brazil at this time, sources added, and he is unwilling to play for any club in Spain other than Barcelona, who have no plans to move for their former star.