I’M NOT HERE FOR THE MONEY
says £540K-a-week Neymar
NEYMAR claims ambition – not cash – convinced him to jump ship to Paris St-Germain. The French giants paid Barcelona £200m to release the Brazilian from his contract. The 25-year-old forward (left) has signed a five-year deal worth £540,000 a week after tax. But Neymar insists his motivation was to help PSG achieve their dream of glory in Europe. He said: “I wanted a new challenge. This
was about ambition. My heart told me that it was time to sign for Paris St-Germain. “It was the right time to leave Barcelona and find new challenges. I was never motivated by money. “I thought above all else about the happiness of my family, regardless of money. I regret that some people think this is the case.” Among the challenges he has signed up for at the Parc des Princes this term will be PSG’s quest to reclaim the Ligue 1 title from Monaco, who denied the Parisians a fifth straight championship. That mission starts at home to newly-promoted Amiens today and Neymar is keen to get going. “I’m ready,” he said yesterday. “If I can play, why not?”
Historic
When asked if he feels the burden of becoming the most valuable player of all time, surpassing Paul Pogba’s £89m move to Manchester United last summer, Neymar said: “It’s not an extra burden. I weigh 69kg and I’ll remain at 69kg.”
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists he had no second thoughts when it came to launching an historic bid for Neymar.
“For me Neymar is the best player in the world, so we wanted to have the best player in the world,” he said.
“Neymar came here to write new pages in the history of Paris St-Germain. With him our project will grow even stronger.”
When asked about the unprecedented transfer fee received by Barcelona, Al-Khelaifi added: “Today, it might seem expensive – but in two years’ time it might not. We will make money together in the coming years, it’s a two-brand project. For me it’s a fantastic transfer.
“Concerning Financial Fair Play, we have always been transparent.”