Chelsea target Neymar receives definitive answer on MLS move and following Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has already played with Neymar at two clubs throughout his career, but there’s only one way that they could meet again in MLS and it requires patience.
Neymar continues to be linked with a move to Major League Soccer, after informing Paris Saint-Germain that he wants to leave the French club. Neymar may have been tempted by a move to MLS after watching friend and former teammate Lionel Messi become the most popular athlete in Miami.
But there’s no chance of Neymar signing for any team in the United States or Canada this summer, due to their transfer window closing at the start of the month.
The MLS summer transfer window closed on August 2, meaning that Neymar will have to wait until the winter window if he wishes to move to the United States. A loan move is also not an option as it falls under the same regulations as trades and transfers.
Neymar would have to be a free agent signing and also needed to be a free agent at the time the window closed. Therefore there is no way Neymar can join MLS before the winter window opens, when his future may already be decided.
The European transfer window remains open until August 31, and the PSG forward is still linked with multiple teams in the continent. Neymar has three years left to run on his £25 million-a-year contract but could be available for a fee between £50m and £80m.
It’s unlikely that a fee anywhere near that region would be paid by an MLS team should he remain available come the winter, and PSG won’t be pressured into a cheaper sale. PSG are potentially facing losing Kylian Mbappe this summer, and after losing Messi at the end of his contract in June, Neymar could be the last remaining forward from their star front line.
Neymar is reportedly favoring a return to Barcelona this summer, and it was from the Spanish team that he became the most expensive signing of all time when joining PSG. But according to L’Equipe, one of the Los Angeles teams in MLS approached Neymar over a sensational move.
LA Galaxy currently has all of their designated player spots full, with Javier Hernandez, Riqui Puig and Douglas Costa already signed. LAFC have one DP spot free, though, after Gareth Bale retired at the end of their MLS Cup-winning season.
Neymar is expected to leave PSG this summer, as Luis Enrique is planning a rebuild, and the 31-year-old is no longer seen as the player to take them to Champions League glory. Saudi Arabia, Barcelona, and Chelsea have all been linked with the Brazilian.
LAFC and other MLS teams could try and plot a future move, and will hope that Neymar is available come the winter. Neymar spends a lot of time in Florida and was seen in the crowd for the NBA Finals, making Orlando a potential destination for a new rivalry with Messi and Miami.
