Neymar agrees to 2-year deal with Saudi club Al-Hilal
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – Ligue 1 – Stade Rennes v Paris St Germain – Roazhon Park, Rennes, France – January 15, 2023 Paris St Germain’s Neymar reacts REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
PARIS—Paris Saint-Germain football superstar Neymar has reportedly agreed a two-year deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.
France’s leading sports daily L’Equipe said on its website Sunday that the PSG and Brazil forward will receive a total of 160 million euros ($175 million) over two seasons. No details were given as to how much the transfer fee would be for Neymar, who has also been linked with a return to Barcelona.
The Associated Press has asked defending French champion PSG to confirm the deal. The request was not immediately answered.
Neymar’s current contract with PSG runs until 2025.
Neymar missed PSG’s season-opening 0-0 draw against Lorient in the French league on Saturday after training alone on Friday, with the club saying it was because he was recovering from a viral infection. But Neymar is heading for a PSG exit and could leave during the summer transfer window.
PSG’s Neymar celebrates after scoring the first goal during a friendly soccer match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. (Yoon Dong-jin/Yonhap via AP)
The 31-year-old Brazilian joined PSG from Barcelona for a world-record fee of 222 million euros (now $244 million) six years ago, the same year Kylian Mbappe joined from Monaco in a deal worth 180 million euros.
PSG had already received a world-record $332 million bid from Al-Hilal for Mbappe, who is in the last year of his contract and has been mired in a transfer standoff. Mbappe, who reportedly refused to meet with representatives from the Saudi club when they were in Paris last month, has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid next season on a free transfer.
Tensions between Mbappe and PSG eased a little on Sunday after he was allowed to return to training following “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties.
Mbappe sat out Saturday’s draw with Lorient after being left out of training. Midfielder Marco Verratti was also not selected by new coach Luis Enrique, and has been linked with a move to the Saudi league after joining PSG in 2012.
