'Neymar never close to leaving PSG' says Campos
FT Desk
- 16 Sept 2022 18:47 BST
- 3 min read
Reports of PSG wanting to offload Neymar were rife this summer, conflict with Kylian Mbappe cited as a constituent reason why, but Football Advisor Luis Campos has dismissed such claims.
Neymar and Mbappe have spent five years together in Paris, the former arriving in a world record €222 million transfer from Barcelona in 2017 and the latter making his loan deal from Monaco permanent for €180m the following summer.
While there were suspicions that Neymar left Barca to escape Lionel Messi's shadow - five years before the Argentine joined him at the Parc des Princes - he soon found himself in Mbappe's, the striker firing France to World Cup glory in 2018.
🤯 Five years ago today, Neymar signed for #PSG in a world-record €222m deal.
💥 Now he's back to his best!pic.twitter.com/YaaP9SLu5Y— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 3, 2022
Mbappe even admitted recently that he and Neymar haven't always seen eye-to-eye.
"I'm in my sixth year with Neymar," he said. "We have always had a relationship like this, based on respect, sometimes colder and sometimes warmer. I have great respect for him and his influence on the team."
Campos: 'Neymar 100% in our plans"
Neymar was linked with moves to Chelsea and Juventus among others, but PSG's Football Advisor Campos has dismissed those claims.
"Neymar was never close to leaving PSG," he told Jerome Rothen's new football programme on RMC. "Rumours on Neymar this summer were completely fake - also, saying that Mbappe wanted Ney to be sold is more big, fake news.
"Neymar is 100 per cent part of our project."
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Neymar has been in electric form at the start of the 2022/23 season, scoring 11 time and providing seven assists, giving him a goal-involvement of one every 45 minutes he has played.
Mbappe's numbers are not too far behind, his 10 goals in eight games in all competitions coming in at a rate of one every 68 minutes he has featured for the French champions.
