Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola called Neymar on Sunday as speculation about the Brazilian’s future mounts.
Rumours about the PSG superstar potentially leaving in the summer continue to abound, with the club said to be ready to offload their record signing due to his persistent injury issues.
With the French giant keen to freshen up their frontline in the next few months given that Lionel Messi will definitely depart the Parc des Princes, Neymar could be another elder statesman sacrificed to make way for what French media has called a ‘less flashy, more disciplined’ PSG.
The PSG faithful certainly wouldn’t be sad to see the back of the 31-year-old as the ultras have already demanded he get out of the club. His recent trip to Monaco to hang out with Tom Holland and play poker instead of attending PSG’s title celebrations ruffled more feathers.
Why did Pep call Neymar?
Unfortunately for Manchester City fans who want to see Neymar at the Etihad, Guardiola did not call the 31-year-old to convince him to join his side. Instead, he wanted to check in on his former player to see how his injury recovery is proceeding.
Moreover, it seems unlikely that Guardiola would have any interest in reuniting with Neymar at City precisely due to his constant fitness struggles. A few weeks ago, French media posited a potential swap deal with Bernardo Silva, who is one of PSG’s top transfer targets, but that seemed like wishful thinking then, and it still does now.
Neymar has also been linked with a move to the red side of Manchester as well as with Chelsea, though a permanent transfer appears doubtful due to his exorbitant wages. If he were to leave France this summer, it would be on loan with PSG continuing to shoulder some of the expenses.