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Football London
Football London
Sport
Sam Hill

Todd Boehly has already held Neymar transfer meeting with Paris Saint-Germain amid Chelsea links

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has already held meetings with Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi regarding a transfer move for Neymar. The French giants had tried to sell the 31-year-old winger last summer and look set to try and move him on again ahead of next season.

The Brazil international has enjoyed a strong season for PSG, scoring 18 goals and providing 17 assists in just 29 appearances. Neymar is currently sidelined with an ankle injury with concerns being raised regarding his ability to stay fit for a full season.

The Ligue 1 champions are understood to be willing to sell the Brazilian superstar for a fee in the region of £75million - but a club that pays that price will need to stump up a huge wage package to agree personal terms with the player. The Premier League is considered to be the only possible destination for Neymar if he leaves PSG due to the finances involved in a deal to sign him - with a return to Barcelona out of the question.

READ MORE: Chelsea sent Neymar transfer message after Thomas Tuchel's Cristiano Ronaldo snub

According to ESPN and RMC Sport reporter Julien Laurens, Boehly has already met with Al-Khelaifi 'a few times' in the past year to talk about Neymar and the possibility of bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

Laurens added that he is unsure if a deal is still possible given the fact that the Brazilian is still recovering from ankle surgery, with Neymar having missed PSG's last 10 games, along with the huge contract he is under with the Ligue 1 champions that does not expire until 2025.

Laurens said: "With Neymar, they [PSG] tried to sell him last summer and they will try to sell him again this summer. We know that Todd Boehly, the Chelsea owner, has met with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG president, a few times to talk about Neymar and the possibility of bringing him to Chelsea.

"I don't know if that is possible right now because Neymar is recovering from ankle surgery and he's got a huge contract with PSG. So, I don't know if it is possible for Chelsea but we do know is that only the Premier League, right now, can afford Neymar."

There are a few concerns there for the Blues when pursuing a deal for Neymar but there are some things Boehly may be able to offer PSG and the player to sweeten the deal. Hakim Ziyech was on the verge of joining the French outfit in January before his loan deal collapsed - but he could be used in a potential player plus cash deal as PSG look to rebuild their squad.

Moving on a significant amount of first team players at Stamford Bridge will bring the wage bill down and could open up the opportunity to meet Neymar's huge demands. Chelsea want to strengthen their attack by adding a superstar player that brings goals and assists - something the Brazilian certainly has shown he can do.

However, with Neymar's injury problems it remains to be seen whether Boehly can risk bringing in a player on huge wages just to be sidelined for a third of the season.

A new manager is still yet to be appointed which could influence whether the Blues make a move for the 31-year-old - with Mauricio Pochettino, the leading candidate to take over at Stamford Bridge, having already worked with Neymar at PSG.

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