Any remaining hopes that Chelsea may sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Neymar appear to be fizzling out. With Todd Boehly as co-owner the prospect of making a true statement signing with an elite world talent always seem possible but that is now increasingly unlikely to be the Brazilian.
The American businessman has caused quite the splash in football since taking over in May 2022 and despite spending over £550m hasn't yet made the major marketing and commercial transfer that had been expected. With links to Crisitiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi now going away, Neymar is the next man on the list.
The 31-year-old is part of the PSG front-three that all have uncertain futures heading into the summer and has also been at the centre of mass speculation with a move away from the French capital. After a Champions League dream ended for another year last week, it was only natural that his name became prominent again.
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Despite that setback, and a lack of consistency in Ligue 1 this season too, the Athletic write that the most expensive player of all-time has now decided to end his career at PSG. This comes with Neymar set to miss the rest of the campaign with injury, further complicating what may have been his plans for a summer move.
Whilst Messi and Kylian Mbappe could soon be on their way out, it is said that Neymar has no such determination to leave the club that signed him for over £200m in 2017. It is his ambition to bring European glory to Le Parc des Princes and has a contract tying him down there until 2025 with an option for a further year.
As Boehly and Chelsea make increasingly large moves towards younger signings and a youthful squad, a big-money, wage structure-shattering deal for Neymar already looks to be off the table. Although Le Parisien have reported that Boehly has already travelled to Paris for talks with PSG about a deal for Neymar earlier this year there is no indication that anything became serious.
The player himself has already admitted interest from the Blues going back as far as 2010. In 2014 he said: "It was August 23, 2010. My father and I had a meeting with president Luis Alvaro at the Santos headquarters inside the Vila Belmiro. Chelsea had made a huge transfer bid.
"In the middle of our conversation, the president turned off the lights and pointed at an empty chair. 'This is the chair of the great national sports hero. Since Ayrton Senna’s death, this chair is vacant. If Neymar Jr stays in Santos and refuses Chelsea’s proposal, he will give his first step to sit in this chair.'
"That made us think. That decision would be a turning point in my life. Even Pele called me. Can you imagine how important I felt? The King of Football called me and asked me to stay." Now Neymar is making the choice to stay himself and Boehly will need to find a new global star to try and sign.
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