Neymar has agreed to leave Paris Saint-Germain for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in a move worth up to £86m, bringing to an end his colourful six-year stay in the French capital.
Subject to a successful medical the Brazilian will sign a two-year deal with the Riyadh-based side and become the most high-profile player to have joined the Saudi Pro League during its summer of extravagant transfer spending. The move marks a shift in dynamic for PSG, who also allowed Lionel Messi to depart for Inter Miami at the end of last season.
Neymar’s impending exit was clearly signposted last week when he was left out of Luis Enrique’s squad for their Ligue 1 opener against Lorient, which finished goalless. He is thought to have been open to staying in Paris if the manager’s plans had permitted, and a move elsewhere in Europe would have appealed, but ultimately the move to Saudi Arabia makes sense for all parties. Although PSG will make a heavy loss on the gigantic £200m fee they paid Barcelona for him in 2016, there is a feeling that the sum received from Al-Hilal for a player who turns 32 in February constitutes good business.
The transfer also means PSG can take Neymar’s salary, which was worth £25m annually until 2027, off the books. They are tightening the belt to comply with Uefa’s new financial fair play regulations, which will cap spending on wages, transfers and agents’ fees at 70% of a club’s revenue while restricting losses to €60m over three years. Last year PSG were fined £56m for breaching the outgoing FFP regulations, although £47.5m of that sum was suspended.
Although Neymar scored 118 goals for PSG he did not help land them the Champions League trophy their owner, Qatar Sports Investments, has sought. PSG are keen to move on from the era of “galáctico” spending that marked their past decade and sometimes provided unwelcome off-pitch distraction. They have placed a renewed focus on blending younger additions with French talents. A hectic summer of arrivals has seen Ousmane Dembélé, Hugo Ekitike, Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, Lee Kang-in, Manuel Ugarte and Gonçalo Ramos among those signed. Sergio Ramos, 37, is another veteran to have departed.
Neymar’s departure means Kylian Mbappé will be the only member of last season’s feted front three to remain at the club. Mbappé’s future looked unclear when he was left out of the Lorient game and barred from training with the senior squad, the club holding a firm line after he appeared ready to run down his contract and depart – almost certainly for Real Madrid – for free next summer. A breakthrough over the weekend led to Mbappé’s reintegration: discussions over a new deal are advancing and, assuming it is signed, PSG will not stand in his way if he wishes to depart in 2024.
