Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar confirmed he will stay at the club this summer despite continued links to Chelsea.
Speaking in an interview with CazeTVOficial, Neymar addressed the disconnection from the Parisians but admitted that he expects to be with the team.
“I hope it’s at PSG (next season). I have a contract with PSG and no one has informed me of anything. Even if there isn’t much love between the fans & the player, I will be there (at PSG), with love or without love,” the 31-year-old said.
Undergoing surgery on his right ankle in early March of this year, Neymar has returned to the squad amid the start of training camps.
Neymar has been singled out for his lack of performance this year and has faced harsh criticism by French pundits and PSG Ultras.
In May, ultras expressed fury at the South American outside the club’s headquarters and during matches, reportedly telling Neymar to “get lost.”
Sports pundit Daniel Riolo called out Neymar for his lack of effort, describing his transfer to the club as undeserved for the Parisians despite scoring 18 times in 29 games last season.
“[Neymar] had half a good season because he was preparing for the World Cup. He was just in training,” the French journalist said at the beginning of the year.
“Do we realise that Neymar, in terms of recruitment and salary, is the biggest flop in the history of football? I can’t think of a bigger flop for what it cost, it’s horrible,” he said.
A farewell to Neymar was expected to be in order, especially after it was reported that Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly recently met with PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi for a potential trade.
PSG has yet to voice any conversations on Neymar’s future as they have been occupied with the Mbappe contract saga.
However, on his return to the pitch, the team stated, “After participating in individual training on the pitch last week, Neymar is expected to partially participate in collective training this week.”
Qatar World Cup
In the interview with CazeTVOficial, Neymar admitted that he considered retiring from the Brazilian National team after the World Cup in Qatar but ensured that he will return and aspires to play at the 2026 World Cup.
“It was one of the worst weeks of my life. Besides me being hurt, nobody knew it, but, I got really sick. Very, very sick. I did the treatment lying in bed, sleeping the whole day. I only had my foot out of bed, and the physiotherapist was there doing all kinds of treatments. It was bizarre, you know?” Neymar voiced.
“First day, I stayed until 10:30 am doing treatment, and Marquinhos gave me company. It was very intense, I didn’t know how I was going to come back. I came back without any pain, 100%. I wasn’t 100% because I was sick. (..) What hurt was the defeat more than the ankle,” the Brazillian added.
With Carlo Ancelotti becoming the new Brazilian national team head coach starting in June 2024, a partnership with Neymar has left some fans excited.
