Reports suggest that Neymar has made it clear to the French giants that he would like to move to Madrid in the latest summer transfer window.
Football news: Neymar’s agent has lined up Poland striker as a replacement for the Brazilian
But the French treble winners will not easily let go of their €222 million (£200m/$262m) player after just one season, and are definitely going to play hardball to keep their prized asset at the club.
Pini Zahavi, the agent of Neymar, met with the President of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, on May 13, and later met with Neymar’s lawyer and father, who are eager to see the deal through.
Zahavi has recently become the agent of Robert Lewandowski, the striker from Poland, and has lined up the Bayern Munich player as a replacement for Neymar at PSG.
However PSG desires to retain the services of Neymar until his contract ends in 2022. If Madrid wants to sign Neymar, they would have to do that after the World Cup ends on July 15.
When Neymar moved to the Parc des Princes, there were rumours that it was just a stepping stone for his move to Madrid, and later Neymar made it clear that he wants to reach the designated club at the end of the transfer window.
Neymar’s attitude in PSG fuelled the speculation even more because of the public fall-out with fellow teammate Edinson Cavani over a penalty during a league match against Dijon.
Neymar even could not appear at the stadium when the club won the Ligue 1 trophy as the Brazilian was recovering from a foot injury which he had earlier received that had kept him on the side-lines for past three months.
Former coach of PSG, Unai Emery, told Cadena SER, “I'm not going to be Neymar's spokesperson, but I think the next season he is going to stay at PSG. It would be the right thing for the player and for the club.”
Even the club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the almost same statement and also added that it is the work of Spanish media that is unsettling the player.
“Who says he will not stay here? Did anyone say that? No one," he said to reporters. "He has a contract with us, and he will stay, 2000%.
“Spanish media are still working for Spanish clubs and against the French clubs. And the French media I don't know who they are working for.”
However on a slightly soft note, Al-Khelaifi told L’Equipe, “Nothing and nobody is bigger than the club, not the coach nor the players.
“The club is and always will be first, it is bigger. If someone does not accept that and is not happy, then they leave.”
Despite sustaining an injury, Neymar has played 30 matches for PSG and has scored 28 goals and assisted 19 more. He is also in the Brazilian squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.