LONDON: Paris Saint-Germain have made it clear to Neymar that there are absolutely no circumstances under which the Qatar-owned club’s record signing will be allowed to leave for Real Madrid this summer.
If necessary, PSG are prepared to present the Brazil international with the option of playing his football in Paris next season or not playing football at all, sources at the club have told Arab News.
Privately and publicly encouraged by Madrid president Florentino Perez to return to Spanish football just one year after his global record transfer from Barcelona, Neymar and his father have been agitating for the move for months. According to PSG sources, Qatar will not countenance handing over the most high-profile and expensive acquisition of a project designed to secure the club’s first Champions League.
Senior club figures have spent much of Neymar’s first season attempting to placate the Brazil international. In just one example, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Antero Henrique flew to South America in March to meet Neymar and his father and discuss how the club could keep the pair happy. Talks between the two camps included asking Neymar’s thoughts on who should replace Unai Emery as PSG coach, said a source close to the player.
The meeting followed a debut campaign pockmarked by evidence of Neymar’s discontent in France. There has been on and off-field tension between the forward and leading goalscorer Edinson Cavani, whom the Brazil international wanted to replace as the taker of the side’s penalties and free kicks.
Neymar complained about coach Emery’s tactics, man management and refusal to allow him to skip certain matches. On more than one occasion, the forward unilaterally declared himself unfit to play. As he recovered from surgery on a fractured metatarsal in his home country, the 26-year-old provoked further controversy by posting an image of himself playing online poker while his PSG team-mates secured the Ligue 1 title.
Bought out of his Barcelona contract for €222 million ($262 million) at the beginning of August, Neymar was rewarded with a basic salary worth more than €300 million over the length of a five-year contract — at that point the most lucrative ever agreed. No release clause was included in the Brazilian’s new deal, however, so a second successive summer switch can only happen with Qatari consent.
That, according to PSG sources, will not be forthcoming, with the club’s hierarchy ready to reprise the negotiating tactics with which they kept Marco Verratti in France a year ago. Holding offers from leading Liga and Serie A sides, the Italy midfielder pushed PSG to be allowed to leave only to be told that his options were: “To stay. Or stay and not play. Whichever you’d prefer.”
Verratti stayed and played. PSG are confident that, ultimately, Neymar will make the same choice under Thomas Tuchel, the new coach appointed by the club with the aim of landing a first Champions League. Last week Neymar published an image of himself in his employer’s 2018-19 first-team kit. “Proud to wear the new jersey and to continue giving you joy,” read the caption.
EXCLUSIVE: Qatar-owned PSG in frantic bid to keep star man Neymar
EXCLUSIVE: Qatar-owned PSG in frantic bid to keep star man Neymar
- Neymar has had an up and down season at PSG since his world-record move to the Parc Des Princes.
- Brazilian star publicly and privately encouraged to return to Spanish football by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Nacho Fernandez opens up on ‘pleasure’ of Al-Qadsiah journey through Saudi football
- Speaking at ‘Ithra Cultural Days: Spain,’ the former Real Madrid defender says he has enjoyed adapting to Saudi football since joining the Alkhobar club in the summer of 2024
DHAHRAN: Al-Qadsiah’s Spanish captain, Nacho Fernandez, has described his experience at the club as a “pleasure” as he spoke about his experience in Saudi football at “Ithra Cultural Days: Spain” at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture on Thursday night.
On stage with journalist Khaled Alarafah, Nacho opened up about his adaptation to the Saudi Pro League, his role at Al-Qadsiah, and the ways he hopes to contribute to the club’s growth and the development of the sport in the region.
“I feel lucky to be on a very easygoing team because I have wonderful teammates, both foreigners and Saudis,” the former Real Madrid defender said. “In the year and a half I’ve been here, we’ve managed to build a family, and it’s a pleasure to go to training with them every day.”
Born Jose Ignacio Fernandez Iglesias in Madrid, the 35-year-old defender has long been known by his nickname Nacho, a traditional Spanish diminutive of Ignacio.
He joined Real Madrid’s academy at age 10 and went on to spend 23 years at the club, making over 300 appearances for the senior team, winning 25 major trophies and earning 29 caps for the Spanish national team.
Nacho joined Al-Qadsiah, founded in Alkhobar in 1967, in the summer of 2024 shortly after Real Madrid claimed their 15th UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. It was a personal sixth medal in Europe’s premier club competition for the player, a joint record.
“What has surprised me the most about the people of Saudi Arabia is the warm welcome; they embraced me and my family with generosity and genuine care,” Nacho added. “Family is very important in Saudi Arabia, just as it is in Spain.”
He also said football supporters across the Kingdom were special.
“I think about the Saudi football fans — they’re just as passionate about football as in Spain,” Nacho said. “I love seeing people with so much passion and I think that’s exactly what sports needs: passion.
“I don’t understand the chanting at the stadiums with the drums, but I imagine they’re meant to cheer the team on,” he laughed as the crowd at Ithra cheered along.
Nacho also highlighted the potential for Saudi football to maintain the remarkable growth it has experienced in recent years.
“I think Spanish football has been established for many more years, it’s recognized worldwide,” he said. “But here, in Saudi, things are emerging but being done very well. In fact, many of us foreigners are coming here to play, and the competitive spirit is important for all of us.”
Al-Qadsiah currently sit fifth in the Saudi Pro League table, and recently appointed former Liverpool and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers as their new head coach. Nacho said that football in Saudi has a different tempo to what he experienced in his home country.
“I would say I notice a big difference, maybe as a defender, I’d say, in Spain the game is a bit more intense, like the whole team is focused on attacking and defending as one block. Here, I notice there’s more space on the field.”
On why he chose to join Al-Qadsiah, he left a glowing review.
“Why this team? Well, because they gave me peace of mind, care and above all, the assurance that my family would be well. So when I started on this new journey, when we made the first contact, I think everything was resolved within just a week.”
For the next step in his career, he is keen on continuing to mentor aspiring players, many of whom seemed to be in the audience at King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, also known as Ithara.
“I’ve been a good leader. Everything I’ve learned in my career I’ve put back to help the younger players and use that experience to win matches,” Nacho added.
“Are we on the right track? I think so. Last year we had a very good season, and this year we are still fighting. The project is where it needs to be, and between the club, the players, and everyone involved, we’ll do everything possible to get back to the top. And we are,” he concluded to roaring applause.
