Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to bring Brazilian superstar Neymar to Stamford Bridge should he decides to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain are preparing for a rebuild under new manager Luis Enrique following the departure of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami and the potential sale of Kylian Mbappe. This would certainly leave Neymar as the only survivor of the Ligue 1 giants’ lethal MNM attacking force.
According to Le Parisien, Neymar, 31, was keen to leave PSG this summer with a move back to Barcelona his preferred destination. But following the appointment of Luis Enrique as the club’s new manager, there is now the potential he could opt to stay at Parc des Princes. However, if the Brazilian forward decides to leave, Chelsea would make a move for him, the report adds.
Neymar’s 2022/23 campaign was cut short due to an ankle injury. However, he was in fine form for PSG before the injury, scoring 18 goals and providing 17 assists in 29 games across all formats. While he has since undergone surgery and recovered, the forward’s future with Les Parisians remains up in the air.
In what is an individual boost, Neymar was present on July 10 for the resumption of PSG’s training session ahead of their pre-season tour.
Neymar to Chelsea—Should the Blues make a move?
Chelsea have started their squad rebuild under new boss Mauricio Pochettino by already managing to offload players from their books. Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are the only new arrivals, with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo seemingly next to follow the duo to Stamford Bridge.
As the Blues are actively looking to offload both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku, Pochettino is intent on adding another forward to his attacking ranks before the new season commences. And Neymar has emerged as a target for Chelsea.
Neymar joined PSG back in 2017 from Barcelona for a world record fee of €222 million, and he has since scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists in 173 matches across competitions. The Brazilian international’s time at Parc des Princes has hardly been plain sailing, though, with a spate of injuries often ruining his continuity.
Yet, at 31, he still has some years left at the highest level and could become an incredible addition to Chelsea. Neymar has been a fantastic player in world football over the years, and he could be open to a reunion with Pochettino at Stamford Bridge should a decision to leave PSG is taken.
The ex-Barcelona star could potentially form a scary attacking quartet with Mudryk, Jackson and Nkunku as well as add valuable squad depth; however, the lack of Champions League football next season could become a huge factor in a move to Stamford Bridge not materialising.
