In his first ever interview after returning to Paris Saint-Germain, sporting director Leonardo opened up about the entire saga of Neymar leaving PSG. Neymar’s future has been the talk of the transfer window once again with the players future at the French capital seeming to be uncertain and the interests of the likes of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid to sign the player leading to many rumors doing the rounds.
In an interview with Le Parisien, PSG’s new sporting director Leonardo admitted that Neymar will be allowed to leave the club if they receive an offer that equals what they’re asking for the player. This comes after Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu in an interview said that Neymar wants to leave PSG but the club does not want him to go. The Catalan clubs president seemed to have ended the chances of Barca signing Neymar and following the series of events that have been taking place over the past few weeks, this revelation by Leonardo comes as no surprise.
More from Ligue 1
- Mbappe seeking greener pastures as PSG project threatens to implode
- Kylian Mbappe informs PSG he won’t sign extension past 2024
- Ligue 1: Permutations for the final round of matches
- Three questions after PSG beat Ajaccio ahead of clash with Maccabi Haifa
- Time for PSG ‘to keep the chasing pack at distance,’ says coach Galtier
When asked if Neymar had expressed his desire to leave Paris Saint-Germain, Leonardo stated that it was clear to everyone what Neymar really wants but the football world is unpredictable and anything can happen over a day. Leonardo also commented on the players absence from PSG’s pre-season training stating that the player knew that he had to arrive but he didn’t and that the club will take necessary measures against him, like they would have done against any other employee of the club.
When asked if Neymar would leave PSG this summer, Leonardo said the following, confirming the fact that the Brazilian is up for sale :
"“Neymar can leave the PSG, if there is an offer that suits everyone. But to date, we do not know if anyone wants to buy it or at what price. All this is not done in a day, that’s for sure …”"
Leonardo also confirmed that talks have been held between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona regarding Neymar but nothing was official and no offer had been made for the player by the Catalan giants.
When asked whether PSG didn’t want to keep Neymar at the club, Leonardo replied saying :
"“PSG wants to rely on players who want to stay and build something big. We do not need players who would do a favor at the club by staying here.”"
The PSG sporting director also shed light on the fact that he had spoken to Neymar’s entourage and that the position of the given situation is clear for everyone and irrespective of everything else, the Brazilian forward still has three more years on his PSG contract. These comments from the sporting director come on the same day as the club announced that they would take appropriate action against Neymar for taking an unauthorized leave and missing the pre-season training.
This nothing but indicates that things might have gone sour between the two parties and Leonardo is no longer willing to tolerate Neymar’s indiscipline and is ready to let him go if they receive the right offer.