Chelsea could potentially be interested in a move for Brazilian forward Neymar, with Paris Saint-Germain open to selling their star player this summer.
Following Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at PSG and sign a new contract, PSG are rumoured to be willing to let Neymar leave France this summer for the right price. The 30-year-old had his best years at PSG under the guidance of current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, and following Todd Boehly's £4.25billion takeover of the Blues, the Brazilian has been reported as a transfer target for Chelsea this summer.
The Blues reportedly have over £200m to spend this summer, with fans still waiting for the first incoming of the season. Following Romelu Lukaku's loan move back to Inter Milan and more poised to depart this season, a marquee signing like Neymar could be on the cards.
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Chelsea's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva is also said to be in contact with his national team mate over a transfer to Stamford Bridge. Neymar has previously spoken about a potential move to the Premier League, admitting he has "huge mutual respect" for Tuchel.
So, if Neymar was to make the move to Chelsea in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Tuchel's side? Could the Brazilian help the Blues win the Premier League?
We simulated the 2022/23 season with Neymar in the Chelsea squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Neymar for Chelsea in July 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Neymar to join Chelsea at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. As well as Neymar arriving, the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen all left the club.
Neymar became the Blues' star player under Thomas Tuchel in his first season at the club, making 54 appearances across all competitions. Starting on the left of the front three, the Brazilian was a major threat for Chelsea, registering 18 goals and 13 assists over the course of the season.
His best performances came in the Premier League, where the 30-year-old ended the season as the league's fourth top scorer. Neymar scored 15 times whilst also managing seven assists in 37 appearances, averaging a rating of 7.16 per game.
When compared to the rest of the Chelsea squad, Neymar ended the season as the second-top scorer whilst registering the most assists. Kai Havertz scored 26 goals across all competitions, with 19 of them coming in the Premier League.
Romelu Lukaku scored 14 goals, predominantly from the bench, whilst Mason Mount and Matteo Kovacic both hit double figures for the season. The latter had an incredible season, averaging the highest rating per game in the Blues squad.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Chelsea XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Chelsea's best XI looked like at the end of the 2022-23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Chelsea best XI (5-2-2-1): Mendy; James, Chalobah, Silva, Bastoni, Chilwell; Kovacic, Kante; Mount, Neymar; Havertz.
Along with signing Neymar, Chelsea signed Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan to fill the hole left by Antonio Rudiger. Trevor Chalobah became a regular in the defence, whilst Kovacic and N'Golo Kante were the first-choice midfield partnership ahead of Conor Gallagher and Jorginho.
Mount joined Neymar behind Havertz, with Lukaku playing second fiddle to the German. Timo Werner saw limited game time, whilst Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech rotated in and out of the side.
So, how did the Blues perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Neymar in the summer transfer window? Let's take a look.
Chelsea's results from the 2022-23 simulation:
Chelsea finished third in the Premier League with Neymar in the side, level on points with Liverpool in fourth. Man City won the league, finishing a massive 20 points ahead of Man United in second, losing just one game all season.
The Blues lost just three games all season, but they drew 16 out of their 38 games, which is ultimately the reason they weren't in a title challenge. Chelsea had the second-best defensive record in the league, but they scored 20 less than Man City as they ended the season as the third top scorers in the league.
Despite not challenging for the Premier League, the Blues were strong in the cup competitions, making it to the final of every cup. Tuchel's side reached the FA Cup final for the fourth consecutive season, beating West Ham United 1-0.
The Blues beat Man City and Liverpool to reach the Carabao Cup final, but they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. And, the Blues reached the UEFA Champions League final in a repeat of the Blues' 2012 success, but a 1-0 defeat saw Bayern Munich lift the trophy.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Chelsea were to sign Neymar ahead of the 2022/23 season, The Brazilian could have an outstanding impact, quickly becoming one of the Blues' key players and helping Tuchel's side to three cup finals and one trophy. But, Neymar would not come cheap, and at 30-years-old, there could be other options on the market that could work out better in the long term.
Would you like to see Neymar sign for Chelsea this summer? Let us know in the comments!
