Chelsea are said to be among the club's interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar in the summer transfer window. PSG are open to selling the Brazilian winger ahead of next season as they look to reshape their squad.
Lionel Messi looks set to leave the French outfit this summer when his contract expires after he was recently suspended by the club for taking an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. Messi had his ban removed by PSG after he released a public apology on social media.
Neymar has been sidelined with an ankle injury and has missed PSG's last 10 fixtures across all competitions. The 31-year-old has enjoyed a strong season - scoring 18 goals and providing 17 assists in 29 appearances - but his time in Paris looks set to end this summer after supporters gathered outside his house chanting for him to leave.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly has already held Neymar transfer meeting with Paris Saint-Germain amid Chelsea links
Todd Boehly has already held meetings with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the last year to discuss a potential move for Neymar and now the Blues have been linked with signing the Brazil international once again. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has admitted that signing Neymar would 'scare him to death' when discussing whether the 31-year-old will come to the Premier League ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the United legend was asked for his thoughts on if Newcastle should sign Neymar this summer, with Chelsea and United also linked with a move for the PSG star. Neville said: "That would scare me to death, that sort of signing.
"Neymar is a sensational player but I think Eddie Howe all of a sudden would sort of have a circus - Eddie Howe doesn't need a circus up here. You think about what Newcastle are at this moment in time, they're building, they've got foundations.
"What you don't want to do is basically go and disrupt that. Fans are really behind the team they're behind the manager, there's a sort of a spirit building.
"They're going to need to do it at some point, go for those big name signings, and they're going to need to make that jump and Eddie's going to need to be brave at a point and say 'yeah let's go for it'," Neville added. Whilst the context of his comments are regarding Newcastle's potential pursuit of Neymar, much of what he said rings true for Chelsea too.
The Blues have endured a difficult season and will be looking to trim down their senior squad ahead of next term - with a new manager set to be appointed before the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Boehly has spent over £600million in the last two transfer windows and bringing Neymar into the team could further disrupt Stamford Bridge, rather than help fix things and move towards a more successful future.
Mauricio Pochettino is the favourite to become Graham Potter's permanent successor at Chelsea ahead of next season and the Argentine worked with Neymar during his time at PSG. However, Pochettino has admitted in the past that having too many superstars in a team can cause more problems - something the Blues cannot afford next season.
The 51-year-old will want to trim down the squad and develop the younger players at the club, whilst relying on an experienced core group of players like Raheem Sterling, Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante. Boehly wanted to sign Cristiano Ronaldo last summer and his desire to bring the best players in football to west London may come into action once again - but Neville's comments suggest Chelsea would be wise to avoid signing Neymar this summer.
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