Chelsea owner Todd Boehly will want the Blues to be ‘in the conversation’ to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Neymar?
Speaking on the ESPN FC YouTube channel, journalist Julien Laurens signalled that PSG may part ways with Neymar this summer and Stamford Bridge has been identified as a potential destination for the Brazil international.
Le10 Sport via ESPN also claim that Chelsea have ‘approached’ PSG over the prospect of signing Neymar in the off-season and the Ligue 1 giants may be open to letting the 31-year-old leave to raise funds to pursue their own transfer targets.
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has been identified as a replacement and PSG could use the money recouped from Neymar to try and sign the Portugal international.
90min have revealed that Neymar has also attracted interest from Saudi Arabia and his representatives have held discussions over a move to the Middle East.
Barcelona were also linked with a return for the £927k-a-week ace; however, La Blaugrana boss Xavi has ruled out a deal to bring Neymar to the La Liga giants.
In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Chelsea will be keen to be at the centre of conversations to sign Neymar this summer.
Jones told Give Me Sport: “It fits the model, Todd Boehly always wants to be in the conversation for star players that are available. That was certainly the case when he first came through the door and I think it still will be the case going forward. Whether or not this becomes serious, I’m not entirely convinced.”
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How did Neymar fare for Paris Saint-Germain in 2022/23?
Neymar, who has been hailed as a “super talent”, enjoyed another stellar campaign this term for Paris Saint-Germain as the French giants eventually secured the Ligue 1 title.
In 2022/23, Neymar made 29 appearances across all competitions, registering 17 goals and 18 assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
WhoScored illustrate that the 31-year-old was a constant menace for opposition backlines to contend with and fashioned chances with regularity across the campaign, averaging 1.9 shots and 2.5 dribbles completed per match in the French top flight.
As per FBRef, Neymar has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions in the art of progressive passes, managing 9.41 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile regarding this metric.
Chelsea will be keen to ensure the horror story of this season becomes a distant memory heading into 2023/24 and convincing Neymar to pitch up at Stamford Bridge would be a major statement by co-owner Boehly and company moving forward.
And if Boehly did land Neymar, he could help fulfil a promise to a fan when he agreed that Mauricio Pochettino would win the league, as seen in the video below.
