Newcastle have been brought into the mix to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar this summer.
The 30-year-old has been linked with a move away from the French capital despite penning a new four-year deal this time last year. Reports in France claim Neymar's situation has deteriorated as Kylian Mbappe has replaced him as the main man at PSG with Lionel Messi also above him in the pecking order.
This could see the Brazilian leave the club and Mbappe, who now has a huge say in off-field decisions and appointments within PSG's hierarchy, would have no qualms with his departure. Neymar could also pose a problem in new sporting director Luis Campos' plans as PSG begin to rebuild their squad.
According to L’Equipe, Newcastle would be likely to welcome Neymar to St James' Park. That being said, the Magpies are not necessarily an attractive prospect for the player despite the fact their Saudi owners could afford his mammoth wages.
Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid have also been linked with a move for Neymar, but the quartet are not said to be interested in him. There have been rumours suggesting the winger may return to Barcelona one day and president Joan Laporta has flirted with the possibility of that happening.
"Who doesn't love Neymar? He's exceptional player," he told Catalan outlet L'Esportiu. "But all these players to return to Barca one day should come for free. Players who have signed for clubs like PSG, have almost signed their slavery. For money."
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While PSG are open to Neymar's exit, he is not looking to leave the club. He wants to stay in Paris and push for more trophies, including the Champions League, which they once again missed out on this season after losing to Real Madrid in the last 16.
The player has not fully made the grade since making the £198million move to PSG back in 2017. This is despite scoring 100 goals in 144 appearances during his five-year stint in France.
It seems as though club and player are at loggerheads with regard to Neymar's future. The former Santos prodigy is willing to stay at PSG and play alongside Mbappe and Messi in attack, while the club want to sell in order to balance the books.
The French newspaper has put Newcastle forward as a possible destination due to their ambition to push towards the top of the Premier League table. Neymar is the type of player who can take the Magpies to the next level with his quality and experience.
Newcastle part-owner Amanda Staveley previously stated her long-term ambition is to win the league. In their first transfer window, the new Magpies hierarchy spent almost £100million, bringing in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Chris Wood.
They are expected to strengthen further this summer, with Kalvin Phillips, Jesse Lingard and Sven Botman amongst the other high-profile targets as they look to build on an 11th-place finish in the top-flight.
