Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane opened the door to yet another round of transfer speculation regarding Neymar and Los Blancos on Saturday, addressing rumours in the Spanish press the Paris Saint-Germain man would cost €400 million.
Madrid-based daily AS published the supposed cost of the former Barcelona man on Friday:
Per Marco Ruiz of the same newspaper, Zidane did not avoid questions regarding the story a day later, saying:
"Is 400 million too much to pay for Neymar? They [PSG] paid 220 a few months ago, didn't they? That's the way things are. I remember when I was bought [by Real in 2001] that it was 72, and that seemed like crazy money. A decade or so later it's 220... It's well possible that it'll be 400 in another decade's time - or before then."
When pressed on whether the Brazilian would fit his side, he said: "Any team would find space for Neymar!"
Unsurprisingly, Ruiz took it as a sign Zidane had been briefed on AS' story from the day before, and he intended to fan the flames with his comments.
Neymar has been in the news a lot since PSG's UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Real, with a number of sensational reports emerging.
Guillem Balague of Sky Sports suggested the player's entourage is pushing for a move, and Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo (via Max Winters of MailOnline) took it one step further, reporting Neymar has already reached out to former club Barcelona.
Catalan manager Ernesto Valverde scoffed at those reports:
Exit rumours involving the 26-year-old aren't new, and it should come as no surprise they have intensified following the end of PSG's European campaign.
The fact Neymar is currently in Brazil recovering from an injury―as opposed to denying the speculation ahead of PSG's next match―doesn't help. Per AS, the forward is "detached from the crisis at the club," and Les Parisiens are trying to control the damage.
There are all kinds of financial hurdles to a transfer this summer, and AS noted his image rights could present another one. Per the report, Neymar currently retains all of those rights, whereas no one at Real currently retains more than 60 percent―not even Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG smashed the transfer record to bring Neymar to France during the summer, and they won't give up on their project after just a single season unless they can turn a profit on the winger. Even then, a minor profit may not be enough.
So far, the French club has denied any rumours Neymar could leave, and in all likelihood, they'll continue to do so. That won't stop the rumour mill from spinning, however, if AS' insistence on daily Neymar reports is any indication.
from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2GbMMe9
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