Neymar says “there are no other possible choices” than to stay at Paris Saint-Germain this summer and has dismissed rumours of a rift with Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has been at the centre of a storm over the past few weeks after back-tracking on a move to Real Madrid to sign a new three-year contract with PSG. Real were extremely confident of getting a deal over the line for the French forward, whose contract was due to expire at the end of June.
However, after months of speculation, Mbappe decided to stay put with PSG. The decision has angered the Spanish giants and sent shockwaves through European football, with the ramifications yet to become fully clear. One of the impacts could be on Neymar, with ESPN reporting recently that Mbappe wants to play in a more balance side next season.
Neymar has now publicly rejected that suggestion. Asked if he will remain at PSG and try to win the Champions League, Neymar told Canal+: “It has to be with Paris. I have a contract with PSG, so there are no other possible choices. Yes it will be with Paris Saint-Germain.”
Mbappe is now firmly established as the star of the show at PSG. He is reportedly the highest-paid player in world football and will earn £42.5million (€50m) per annum, in addition to his bonus of £153m (€180m) for staying at the Parc des Princes, where he now also has 100 per cent control of his image rights.
PSG pulled out all the stops to make sure they kept the 23-year-old and that prompted a last-minute call to snub Real Madrid. That has seriously angered Real and came as a surprise to his PSG teammates, with Neymar admitting he was in the dark like everyone else.
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"I admit that I was not aware of it until the last moment,” he said. “I knew it one day before the announcement," he added. "I was very happy, very happy that Kylian decided to stay. I think the PSG project is the right one for his career.
"For his career, it's a good thing to stay a few more years at PSG. To try to win a Champions League in his country, in the team of his city. So I think it's the right choice. Maybe he will want to change his mind and play in another team in the future, but I think his decision to stay is the right one. Having players like Kylian in the team is always important."
Like Mbappe, Neymar is under contract with PSG until June 2025. However, GOAL reports that PSG would be willing to sell the Brazilian forward this summer, if the right offer came in. However, there are few clubs in the world capable of affording a transfer fee, or paying Neymar’s wages – a point which Barcelona president Joan Laporta made recently.
"He is an exceptional player, but he has [three] years on his contract with PSG. He is effectively enslaved to money,” he told L'Esportiu . "The only way he could come back to Barca is for free. It would be irrational to pay a transfer fee for a player you have already had.”
