Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
PSG are hoping to speak to Neymar
PARIS St Germain (PSG) president Nasser al-Khelaifi was giving little away r e g a r d i n g h i s c l u b ’s reported world-record bid to land Barcelona star Neymar.
However, he admitted he hopes to talk further on the matter in the future.
Speculation is rife that PSG are seeking to activate the £199million release clause in Neymar’s contract with Barca and make the Brazil forward the most expensive player in history.
That would be more than double the fee Manchester United paid Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer and has sparked rumours Barca could make a complaint to Uefa over a purported failure to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by the Ligue 1 outfit.
PSG chief Al-Khelaifi was quizzed on the subject by Moroccan broadcaster Medi 1 TV over the weekend but was largely keeping his cards close to his chest.
In quotes reported by various European news outlets, Al-Khelaifi said: “I think this matter is a little premature . Right now, Neymar is a Barcelona player and we’ll see what happens with him.
“We respect all contracts signed with other clubs and players.
“I’d rather not to talk about this now. I hope to do it at another time. I prefer not to give percentages, everything in its time.”
Neymar, who has a contract with Barca until 2021, joined the Catalan giants from Santos in 2013 and is one of the game’s leading players.