La Liga
Friends and Relations Behind PSG Bid For Neymar
Former Manchester City target, Dani Alves, has been cited as one of the big influences to lure Neymar out of FC Barcelona to join him at Paris Saint-Germain.
Both Brazilian players are reportedly very close. Sports Village Square gathered from Business Insider that Alves called his former FC Barcelona team-mate Neymar regarding a €222 million (£196.5 million) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
Another close friend of Neymar simply identified as Maxwell was also reported to have called the Barcelona forward to put pressure on him on the need to make the move this summer. Neymar’s contract with FC Barcelona has a $254.7 million (£196.5 million) release clause.
According to ESPN’s resident French football expert, Julian Laurens, the chairman of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, has also been in “close contact” with Neymar’s father for two years.
“Maxwell, Alves and Neymar are all very good friends and I think Maxwell and Alves have been on the phone to Neymar,” remarked Laurens.
“PSG has never stopped contacting Neymar and his dad. PSG chairman and Neymar’s dad have been very close since last summer and the summer before that.”
Neymar plays for La Liga giant Barcelona, but the Brazilian forward has a huge £196.5 million “release clause” in his contract. This means that if a club like PSG wanted to buy Neymar, it could force Barcelona’s hand by meeting the release clause. However, there are no guarantees as it would then have to negotiate personal terms with the player.
Manchester United last broke the transfer fee record when it spent £89.6 million on Paul Pogba last year. Barça probably thought a £196.5 million fee would be too costly for any European club to meet. However, reports in Brazil said Neymar had accepted a proposal from PSG, and that the transfer would be announced in two weeks.
Laurens doubts the reports. “Nothing has been accepted yet. You can’t agree a deal for Barcelona and Neymar in the space of 48 hours — we’re talking about the biggest transfer of all time with a salary around €20 million [per year].”
Meeting the release clause and negotiating a five-year contract for Neymar could set PSG back €322 million (£285 million).
Because we’re talking about such a huge sum, Laurens believes the reports may have jumped the gun.
But PSG and Barcelona may still do business this summer. “Serious discussions and negotiations will start very soon,” Laurens says. “[In the past] Neymar has flirted with PSG but PSG felt used as Neymar and his father ended up negotiating a new deal for Barcelona.”
The relationship between Al-Khelaïfi and Neymar’s father could be key. Spanish publication, AS, wrote on Monday that “Neymar’s father will travel to Paris to meet Al-Khelaïfi.”
This is what Laurens may mean when he says “the door [for PSG] is opening.” He also says “money is no object.”
“If Neymar is ready to come to Paris then it will do everything to make it happen.”
“I can understand why he’d want to leave Barcelona. Messi has just renewed his contract so that means Neymar will play second fiddle for another three or four years and that’s not what he wants… he wants to be a superstar.”
Sunday’s LaLiga derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was temporarily suspended in the 69th minute due to fans hurling objects onto the pitch after defender Eder Militao scored the opener for the visitors.
While Real players celebrated the goal in the 64th minute, Atletico ultras Fondo Sur, who are located in the south lower stands, threw objects towards visiting keeper Thibaut Courtois, who alerted the referee and he decided to halt the match.
Atletico captain Koke and defender Jose Maria Gimenez went to the south stand to calm the fans down but the referee ordered the players to go to the dressing rooms as the announcer warned that if the behaviour continued the game would be abandoned.
After a delay of over 20 minutes the players returned to the pitch and the game resumed.
-Reuters
Mounir Nasraoui, the father of Barcelona and Spain star winger Lamine Yamal, was stabbed late on Wednesday at a parking lot in the northeastern Spanish town of Mataro, La Vanguardia newspaper reported, citing official sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters was not able to independently confirm the report. The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force and a spokesperson for the Mataro local government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to La Vanguardia report, Nasraoui was taken to the Can Ruti hospital in the nearby city of Badalona and his diagnosis was “serious”. It added that local and regional police had located several witnesses of the incident.
However, a later report by sports website Relevo, also citing official sources, said Nasraoui had been released from hospital and was back at his home.
Yamal, a soccer wonderkid who grew up in coastal Mataro – a working-class, multi-ethnic suburb of Barcelona – became the breakout star of the recent Euro 2024 held in Germany.
Spain won the tournament, helped in part by the 17-year-old scoring against France in the semifinal on July 9.
-Reuters
Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr is open to an offer of more than one billion euros from Saudi Arabia, sources close to the player told Reuters on Monday.
Vinicius, 24, was approached by Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) officials to inquire about his interest of moving to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) on a five-year contract worth around 200 million euros per season fixed, plus bonuses.
The package would also include a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in the country, but those terms and financial numbers are yet to be discussed.
Although an official, formal offer has yet to be presented, Vinicius has not dismissed the move and gave permission to PIF to approach Real Madrid.
Despite being “happy and motivated” in the Spanish capital, Vinicius and his representatives believe that a lucrative offer like this needs to be studied carefully.
Another source close to the player said that Real have shown no interest in negotiating a transfer, highlighting the player’s one billion euro buy-out clause.
Real Madrid and PIF did not respond to requests for comment.
Obsessed to be taken seriously as a soccer force, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project, with PIF taking ownership of 75% of the capital of the country’s four main clubs: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
The biggest Saudi transfer came from the country’s most successful club, Al Hilal, who spent 90 million euros to buy forward Neymar from Paris St Germain.
With Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, PIF tried to persuade France captain Kylian Mbappe to be the big name Al Ahli is still missing last year.
The forward, however, turned down Saudi’s lucrative offer and joined Real Madrid in June.
The proposal for Vinicius is understood to be similar to the Mbappe offer. The Brazilian would join Al Ahli, linking up with former Premier League players Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino.
Vinicius, who is under contract until 2027 after signing an extension in 2022, is a contender to win the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world after helping Real to a Champions League and LaLiga double last season.
-Reuters
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