Real Madrid & Barcelona Continue Battle for Neymar - Players Make Contact With PSG Outcast
By Tom Gott
A number of Real Madrid players are reported to have contacted Neymar to try convince him to move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger has been heavily linked with a move to both Real and rivals Barcelona, although his huge asking price has made the deal incredibly difficult.
Real recently emerged as serious contenders for Neymar's signature, and now ESPN add that several players have reached out to the Brazilian to try and convince him to snub Barcelona in favour of Los Blancos.
Club officials are said to be confident that they can strike a deal for Neymar, given PSG's strained relationship with Barcelona, although they would certainly struggle to meet the French side's huge cash-only asking price.
As a result, Le 10 Sport claim that PSG have now demanded a fee of €120m plus a player to sell Neymar to Real, which is slightly more feasible for Zinedine Zidane's side. Initially, Real wanted to include James Rodriguez, but PSG refused and instead asked for Isco.
However, with Real reluctant to lose Isco, the Ligue 1 side then demanded either Thibaut Courtois or Keylor Navas, and it remains to be seen whether Real would be prepared to part ways with either goalkeeper.
Should Real fail to negotiate a deal, it is thought that Barcelona are ready to take advantage of the situation. Gol TV (via AS) captured lawyers working on behalf of Neymar arriving at the Barcelona headquarters, potentially to try negotiate a deal.
Marca add that Lionel Messi has himself reached out to Neymar to try and talk him out of moving to Real, with the Argentine desperate to reunite with Neymar once more.
Regardless of his destination, it seems almost certain that Neymar will be sold this summer. PSG fans expressed themselves with a number of anti-Neymar chants and banners when the team faced Nimes, and UOL Esporte note that there is hardly any sign of the Brazilian in the club's shop anymore.
He is believed to be desperate to move away from PSG but, with the size of any potential deal for the 27-year-old, this saga is likely to rumble on for a little longer.