While Neymar continues to be linked heavily with a return to FC Barcelona this summer, the PSG superstar is also attracting strong interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
The 31-year-old forward appears to be on his way out of Paris this summer one way or the other and a return to Barça has been strongly mooted, with club president Joan Laporta understood to be a big advocate of the move.
Manager Xavi Hernandez, however, has some reservations about the transfer, but Laporta plans to speak to him and win him over.
Apart from Xavi’s concerns, though, Barcelona might also have to deal with the interest from Saudi Arabia.
Al Hilal wish to start negotiations with Neymar
Indeed, as per Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato, Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal are interested in signing Neymar, whose market value stands at €60 million.
And in order to kick off the proceedings, they are planning on sending a delegate to initiate negotiations with the Brazilian’s father and agent.
PSG, for their part, would be open to sanctioning his departure if a good offer were to arrive and cash will not be an issue for Al Hilal, who have already made some big moves this summer, signing Malcom, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Kalidou Koulibaly.
As such, Al Hilal’s plan to send a delegation to start talks with Neymar’s father could become a concern for Barcelona.
Neymar to Barça via Saudi Arabia?
Alternatively, it might end up proving to be a boon as recent reports suggest that Pini Zahavi is working on a deal that would see Neymar sign for a club in Saudi Arabia from PSG before arriving on loan at Barcelona for a season.
It is a hugely complex operation, one that will take a lot of work to be executed, but the possibility is being studied.
Such a deal could be welcome at Barça as they would not have to cover Neymar’s entire salary, but the willingness of the player to move to Saudi and whether Al-Hilal would be open to such an operation will dictate the direction this story takes.
