Revealed: The FIVE elite European clubs who REJECTED Neymar as PSG star nears Al-Hilal move

Cameron Smith

14 Aug 2023 14:46 BST
4 min read

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar is on the verge of joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a deal that could reach a €120 million transfer fee if reports in France are correct.

Article continues under the video

Furthermore, the Brazil international wants to earn a wage on par with current Al-Ittihad and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, according to FootMercato; Benzema earns a reported €200m per year.

In addition to this, Neymar will also have control over his image rights, which is another huge salary-driver.

His move to Al-Hilal is expected to be announced very shortly, with the Saudi Arabian club acting quickly following reported interest from Barcelona.

The Blaugrana were linked with bringing Neymar back to Camp Nou, but Xavi wasn’t totally convinced about the idea of fitting the 31-year-old into his current tactical set-up - as reported by FootballTransfers.

Now, The Independent have reported that Neymar was offered to a further five elite European clubs, but they all rejected the chance to sign him this summer.

Neymar wanted to stay in Europe

Miguel Delaney has reported that Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all turned down the opportunity of bringing in Neymar this window, despite being offered his services.

© ProShots - Pep Guardiola turned down the chance to sign Neymar this summer

Even Barcelona’s interest only stretched as far as a loan deal, with an option to buy, and that was also reliant on the Blaugrana shifting four players off their wage bill.

Sources close to The Independent revealed that “he [Neymar] has tried everything to get a move within Europe.”

His desire was to continue playing Champions League football, but he has experienced a similar fate to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the only viable destination.

Neymar is set to join Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom at Al-Hilal, all of whom have joined the club this summer. Al-Hilal have spent €178m on transfers this window - the most of any Saudi Pro League club.