VITAL TALKS IN NEXT 24 HOURS

club and Neymar’s father, who advises his son, are scheduled to take place over the next 24 hours and are expected to be pivotal. Although the wheels are in motion, club officials in Paris should retain a degree of caution. They believed they were on the cusp of landing Neymar last year only for the Brazilian to change his mind at the last minute and sign a new deal designed to keep him at the Nou Camp until 2021. But, for now, PSG chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi is growing increasingly hopeful that his dream is set to become a reality. While Neymar’s exit would be a huge blow to Barcelona, it would open a slot for Kylian Mbappe, and the eye-watering fee would allow them to proceed with a move for the Monaco wonderkid. Barca also have a long-standing interest in PSG midfielder Marco Verratti and the Spanish club could explore including the Italy international as part of any Neymar transfer. Neymar joined from Santos in 2013. He scored 13 goals as Barcelona came second, three points behind La Liga champions Real Madrid, last season. He also won a third Copa del Rey, adding to two La Liga titles and a Champions League.