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Last Updated: 12/08/19 6:26pm
2:43 Neymar has reached the “point of no return” at Paris Saint-Germain after supporters voiced their frustration with the forward, French football expert Jonathan Johnson told Sky Sports News.
The Brazilian’s future in Paris remains uncertain with three weeks to go until the European transfer window shuts.
According to Sky sources, Real Madrid are in talks to sign Neymar – with Zinedine Zidane admitting “anything can happen” before the September 2 deadline – while Barcelona are yet to discuss the possibility of re-signing the 27-year-old.
Neymar did not feature in PSG’s opening-day Ligue 1 win against Nimes on Sunday, but he remained the focus of attention as a number of fans held a banner telling him to “go away”.
“This makes it very clear that PSG fans won’t accept Neymar coming back and playing for the team,” Johnson told Sky Sports News.
“They want him to leave, they don’t feel he is committed enough to the club and the project that he has been part of the last two years.
“He’s not even played any full season for PSG since joining [due to injuries], but it definitely puts PSG under a little bit of pressure now with interested clubs, notably Real Madrid and Barcelona, knowing that the PSG fans don’t want him there anymore, and will make it difficult for him the longer he stays.”
0:29 PSG manager Thomas Tuchel said he can understand why supporters are frustrated with Neymar, with midfielder Marco Verratti adding that the fans are entitled to express their opinion.
And though Neymar’s team-mates may be more accepting of the situation, Johnson believes this “watershed” moment makes the player’s relationship with the fans irrecoverable.
“It feels like it’s a point of no return now between the PSG fans and Neymar,” Johnson added. “Very rarely do players get on the wrong side of PSG’s ultras and then get back in their good books.
“I feel this is now a watershed moment in Neymar’s time at PSG and one that will ultimately bring it to an end because there is no real way he will be able to come back and be accepted.
“He may well still have the backing of his team-mates. Kylian Mbappe and Verratti were talking last night, saying how he is still a team-mate of theirs and how they’re still close to him.
2:06 “But it will be very difficult to imagine him going on the pitch with them in Paris again in the future given the way the fans behaved towards him. For them, Neymar is no longer a PSG player.”
Transfer Centre
Thought the transfer window was closed? Wrong. Across Europe, plenty of deals are still being done, with Premier League players still able to move to the continent.
The transfer window for Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 closes at varying times on Monday September 2. Meanwhile, League One, League Two and Scottish clubs can also do deals until September 2.
Follow our Transfer Centre blog for all the latest news and rumours from the window…
