Neymar

Top 10 Clubs Neymar Could Join in 2022

Neymar Jr. could leave PSG this summer - but where would he go?

by Konstantin Simidchiyski
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According to various rumors, Neymar is close to leaving PSG this summer. The Brazilian superstar has played for the French club since 2017, but it seems that he’s not wanted in Paris anymore. Some journalists have already published that PSG is ready to sell the striker or let him leave on loan.

Why would any club let a player like Neymar Jr. go? That’s what probably many football fans would ask themselves now. Nobody can doubt the 30-year-old qualities, but his commitment seems to have problems. Since joining PSG, he has never played more than 22 games in Ligue 1. There are also speculations that he’s not satisfied with playing in France anymore.

At the same time, it seems that Paris Saint-Germain wants to build a new team around Kylian Mbappe, who just signed a new contract. Lionel Messi will stay at the club until 2023 at least, but the club’s plans regarding Neymar are different. It’s a safe bet now that PSG would want to replace the Brazilian with a younger player.

Now everything leads to the big question – if Neymar leaves, where would he go?

How did Neymar do since joining PSG?

Neymar became the most expensive player in history in 2017 when he joined PSG for a sensational €222 million fee. He was supposed to lead the French club to Champions League glory, but so far, it never happened. The Parisians reached the final in 2020 but suffered a defeat against Bayern Munich in Lisboa.

Statistically speaking, Neymar’s best season in France was his first one – 2017/18. He scored 28 goals in 30 games, winning a domestic treble under the management of Unai Emery. During his time in France, he won the Ligue 1 four times. The total number of trophies he won with Paris Saint-Germain is 11, including the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, and Trophèe des Champions.

It’s still early to say if Neymar is really going to leave PSG. We should know this by the end of the summer. But if it happens, we believe he would go to one of these 10 clubs:

Barcelona

Obviously, we should start with Neymar’s former club – Barcelona. In the past, he had already made one or two efforts to come back to Camp Nou, but it didn’t work. Would he try again?

Neymar

Neymar played his best football with Barcelona’s shirt. Photo: Alex Fau

According to some rumors in the press, Barca’s manager Xavi Hernandez would accept the idea of having Neymar in the squad. Xavi knows the Brazilian’s quality more than well because they were teammates in the Catalan capital. At the same time, Barca needs some firepower. Ousmane Dembele’s future remains uncertain, while it’s unclear if they will be able to sign Leeds United’s Raphinha. 

Bayern Munich

German powerhouse Bayern Munich already signed Liverpool‘s star Sadio Mane, but they could need more reinforcements in attack. Serge Gnabry is expected to leave the Allianz Arena, while Robert Lewandowski is also trying to make his way out. 

It’s not in Bayern Munich’s style to sign two superstars in the same summer. Still, a player like Neymar would benefit the club in terms of popularity and global attraction. We should not write them off here. The Bavarian giants dominate the Bundesliga, but they need something “extra” to win the Champions League again. Could Neymar be the answer?

Juventus

After failing to win the Serie A in two consecutive seasons, Juventus need to take some action on the market. Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala are leaving, so it opens some places for new players in the attack. Juve will likely sign Neymar’s teammate in PSG, Angel Di Maria, but why not sign both?

Dybala

Neymar could be Paulo Dybala’s replacement in Turin

Serie A’s slower playing tempo could benefit the Brazilian star when he’s already 30 years old. At the same time, Juventus are desperate for creativity in their game, and someone like Neymar could be the answer. He could take the playmaker role here and make Juve a different team.

Real Madrid

It doesn’t seem likely, but why not? It’d be exciting for Real Madrid to hurt their biggest rival in Spanish football. Why would Los Blancos need a player like Neymar? It’s pretty simple – because they shockingly missed out on signing his teammate in Paris, Kylian Mbappe.

It looked like a certainty that Mbappe would arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. We all expected to see him with the white shirt, but he signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain. It really hurt the president Florentino Perez and the fans, so getting a superstar at the same level would be logical. And few players in the world are more prominent stars than Neymar.

Manchester United

After 9 consecutive seasons without winning the Premier League, Manchester United started a new era with Dutch manager Erik ten Hag. Now they need a marquee signing, and Neymar could be this guy. His quality would instantly make United a better team and bring some fresh hope to the fans.

Erik ten Hag

Should Ten Hag make Neymar one of his first signings?

Manchester United has the financial tools to sign the Brazilian, especially if PSG are ready to sell or loan him. Neymar’s wages remain huge, but admit it – everyone would like to see him in the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chelsea

Two-time Champions League winners Chelsea are ready to regroup after a dramatic change of the club’s ownership. Roman Abramovich is no more, so now the new owners would like to start as good as possible. They have a very competent manager in Thomas Tuchel, but some new signings would be needed.

Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan opens a spot in Chelsea’s attack. The Blues are trying to sign Raphinha from Leeds, but they have some competition for the winger. This means that Neymar could be a real option if Raphinha goes elsewhere. For the new owner Todd Boehly, he could be the first marquee signing since buying the club.

AC Milan

After winning the Seria A for the first time in 11 years, AC Milan are hungry for even more success in the near future. Their primary goals for the next season are pretty straightforward – defending the title and doing as good as possible in the Champions League. 

If he joins the San Siro giants, Neymar would immediately become the club’s top star. He’d be the leading player, so it could be tempting for him to join. The biggest problem here would be his enormous wages. We are not sure that AC Milan could afford to pay him this kind of money at the moment. Neymar should accept a severe pay cut if he wants to play for the Rossoneri. 

Tottenham Hotspur

When Tottenham Hotspur hired Antonio Conte, they had one primary goal: to move the club to the next level. The Italian head coach is a serial winner, by his own words. He’s the man who could move Spurs among the best teams in England, but only if he’s helped by the owners with world-class signings.

Neymar

Neymar could help Tottenham move to another level

Adding Neymar to the already working attacking partnership between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min would turn Tottenham into an attacking mammoth. The Brazilian star could be one of the critical ingredients Spurs currently miss to challenge for trophies.

Arsenal

Arsenal are a work in progress under the manager Mikel Arteta. Still, the fans are getting a bit impatient – they want to see the club challenging for the Premier League again. Arteta’s team is full of talented young players, but they need leaders who can win matches on their own. Players like Neymar.

It has been long since Arsenal brought a global star to the Emirates. If Neymar is available, it should be a no-brainer for the Gunners – they must sign him. His arrival would upset the club’s wage structure, but sometimes it’s worth it. Players like him win you games and trophies – everybody knows that.

Inter Miami

If Neymar suddenly decides he’s done with European football and the pressure on it, moving to the United States seems logical. Although the MLS keeps improving in terms of quality, playing in America is still much easier compared to Europe’s top leagues. 

David Beckham’s Inter Miami is one of the clubs Neymar would consider when joining the MLS. Beckham’s name can easily attract you while living in Miami looks perfect for Neymar’s party persona. For him it’d be like an early retirement, but while still playing football.

Photo By Кирилл Венедиктов – soccer.ru, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70149797

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