Neymar has appeared to pour cold water on a reported fallout between with Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe.
Video footage emerged last month of a moment of tension between Neymar and Mbappe during a PSG training exercise earlier this year. The two players appear to entirely ignore each other during a routine movement, prompting others to intervene and prevent the moment of awkwardness becoming further drawn out.
The emergence of that moment coincided with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi casting new doubt over the future of the Brazilian in the French capital, when the club supremo said: "Neymar part of the new project or not? We can't speak about this in public as some players will arrive, some players will leave the club. These are private negotiations."
There was unsurprisingly fresh speculation that Neymar could leave the Parc des Princes this summer but he is under contract at the club until the summer of 2027 and it appears that he will be playing alongside Mbappe and Messi at PSG for the foreseeable future.
Earlier this summer, Mbappe opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, with reports claiming that the striker would hold great sway in the club’s sporting decisions – meaning that any suggested fallout with Neymar could prompt an exit.
Neymar bagged two goals – the second of which came from the penalty spot – as PSG cruised to a four-goal France Super Cup win over Nantes on Sunday, with Sergio Ramos and Messi also on target.
Have Your Say! Should PSG have considered selling Neymar this summer? Tell us what you think here.
The Brazilian said, when asked if there would a ‘new Messi’ at the club next season: "No, no, I don't think so. People talk a lot without knowing what is going on inside the club. We see it every day, Lionel Messi remains Lionel Messi. He will not change and will always remain a player who will be the difference maker."
The second part of the forward’s answer was arguably more intuitive, as he referenced how excited he was to click with Messi and Mbappe at the club: "I hope he (Messi) will stay like this this season and that everything will go well for me, Leo and Kylian. If all three of us are fine, PSG will be fine."
PSG will begin their Ligue 1 campaign this weekend with a trip to Clermont as new boss Christophe Galtier becomes familiarised with the hotseat in Paris.
