In the midst of all the chaos that has been surrounding Neymar, Paris believe that he will be gone in the summer, and want to focus on building a project around Kylian Mbappé.
Neymar has been a hot topic since his move to France in 2017. He got off to a shaky start with the relationship to some of his teammates, but since then, things have gotten a bit better.
However, that all changed this summer. Barcelona’s interest came apparent, with Real Madrid reportedly later getting into the bidding war for the Brazilian. As commonly known, the forward stayed put in Paris, although his intentions were to join Barca, with the Catalan side having wished for the same outcome. Ultimately, Barcelona deemed Paris’ demands too excessive, but Éric Abidal has assured that the Brazilian always will remain an option due to his quality.
And for Paris, they are ready to let go of him in the off-season, according to French news outlet, Paris United.
Reportedly, Leonardo Araujo, PSG’s sporting director, believes that Neymar will leave the club this coming summer and do not plan on extending the Brazilian’s contract. Instead, he plans to build a team around the Paris-born Kylian Mbappé. In Araujo’s eyes, the Frenchman has it all: he’s young, talented, has the French nationality, in addition to being born in Paris – in the north-eastern Bondy district.
In fact, he considers the club lucky to have a ‘genius’ like Mbappé in the club’s ranks, and wants to extend his contract until 2024 with a significant pay rise, to the point where the Frenchman will earn a bit over 30 million euros in net.
The amount is the same that Neymar is currently on, and relieving the French club of the Brazilian, and him of them, would allow Mbappé to have a higher salary, as well as fund new players to build the team around the young forward.
The new players that Paris would like to acquire are two: one central midfielder, and a wide player – preferably on the right side. It is worth noting that there has been public talk about the Frenchman playing centrally in the future, and with this new project in mind, it does not seem unlikely that he would have that role.
Moreover, Uruguayan striker, Edinson Cavani, could be on his way out, namely to the American football league, the MLS, and thus, that position would be freed. Mauro Icardi is currently on loan to the French side, and his performances would determine whether the club would look to buy him permanently when the season is over.
It is worth noting that Real Madrid, according to Paris United, remain in contact with Mbappé’s entourage, and are looking to do everything to convince him to snub Paris’ extension offer. They would like to acquire the player at a reasonable price, and ensure a sale. In short, the Frenchman could face a dilemma this season: either extend with Paris and become their main man, or move to Real Madrid and join the likes of Eden Hazard, and upcoming talents like Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Júnior.
Kylian Mbappé’s current contract runs out in 2022 – the same year that Neymar’s ends in. It is worth noting that Neymar is protected by a clause in his contract, where UEFA can set an asking price for what would act as a release clause. This clause is called a ‘protection period’, and is in three years or seasons of length.
In the coming summer, he will have fulfilled his third season, and thus could get a sort of release clause, which could make him more affordable for clubs like Barcelona, and would eliminate Paris’ presence in the negotiations.
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