FC Barcelona Target Neymar Close To Accepting ‘Huge’ Al-Hilal Offer

Saudi giants Al-Hilal have presented FC Barcelona target Neymar with an “important proposal” on Saturday, which Fabrizio Romano’s sources described to the transfer market expert as a “huge bid”.

Neymar appears to be nearing the end of his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain, who he joined in 2017 when the Qatari-owned outfit triggered his €222 million ($243 million) release clause at Camp Nou.

This summer, he has informed PSG that he wants to move on and rejoin Barca according to L’Equipe.

As reported by RMC Sport, the Ligue 1 champions’ new head coach Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos have sat the 31-year-old and told him that he doesn’t feature in their plans for the 2023/2024 season which PSG kicked off with a 0-0 home stalemate against Lorient.

SPORT explained in the past couple of days that PSG will not stand in the way of Neymar heading to a Catalonia for a second stint and that the player is ready to receive a reduced salary of €12 million ($13 million).

This pay packet is all the cash-strapped Blaugrana can afford, with a purchase of the Santos academy product for price ranging between €60-150 million also a non-starter.

Neymar earns $50 million a year on-field according to Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes, meaning he would be paid almost four times less if joining former teammate Xavi Hernandez’s squad.

It is well understood that joining a moneyed Saudi outfit first and then being loaned out to Barca for a season with the reduced salary is the only way that Neymar can represent his first European club again.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Al-Hilal is the Saudi Pro League club in question. And after failing to land Lionel Messi who snubbed both them and Barca to join Inter Miami this summer, they have made Neymar a “huge” offer.

Romano adds that negotiations are underway to reach a full agreement with Neymar, who is “tempted by this possibility”.

Once this has been done, there will then be “work in progress to part ways with PSG soon”.

Before the close of the transfer window at the end of the month, Barca could find themselves boasting both Neymar and Joao Cancelo as new additions in their quest to defend the La Liga title plus challenge in Europe again.