Manchester United are reportedly looking to bring Neymar to Old Trafford if Sheikh Jassim is successful in his takeover bid. The Paris Saint-Germain star would be an exciting arrival in the Premier League as he has dazzled his career so far. However, the club had in the past rejected a foreign trade deal from Brazil in the summer 2019 move window, meaning there is no guarantee an upgrade will occur.
On Friday, news broke that Sheikh Jassim was determined to make Neymar the poster boy of his era at Old Trafford, provided he manages to topple the Glazers.
It’s easy to see why, as the PSG star has long been seen as one of the players in all of world football.
However, United have already rejected Neymar for monetary reasons. And although Sheikh Jassim has cash in abundance, the reasons for the afterlife are still valid today.
In 2019, The Independent reported that PSG had a swap deal that would have seen Neymar moving to the Premier League and Paul Pogba in the opposite direction.
Pogba wanted to leave the Reds at that time, having gone through a difficult stage in his career under Jose Mourinho.
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And since then, Mourinho has been replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who got the job permanently after a successful period as caretaker boss, which hasn’t stopped Pogba from contemplating retirement.
However, United have snubbed PSG’s technique with two points from their thinking.
They allegedly felt it would be too expensive to sign Neymar, who hoped to earn up to £900,000 a week on the occasion of an imaginable transfer.
That would have broken his salary structure, which had already been broken with his resolve to make Alexis Sanchez his biggest source of income when the Chilean foreigner landed from Arsenal last year.
And United also rejected the change offer because Ed Woodward was willing to keep Pogba at the club.
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If United are looking for Neymar this summer, they would still have to pay the Samba star a lot of money.
The striker has lately earned £616,000 a week at PSG and it’s hard to see him cut his salary, especially as he is under contract with the Ligue 1 giants until 2025.
Signing Neymar would be, on paper, exciting.
But matching his existing salary would threaten to bring about a United dressing room that has been unified by Erik ten Hag since his summer appointment.
Neymar’s track record also makes him a risky signing.
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Although he produces on the pitch – the 31-year-old has scored 18 goals in 29 games this season – the striker has been plagued by disorder during his time in France.
Neymar has been in just 173 games since joining PSG for a record £200m in 2017.
And even if he sold shirts and brought a new size to Ten Hag’s attack, his arrival would be a gamble.
As for Sheikh Jassim, things deserve to be clarified at United and a possible acquisition in the coming days.
The Qatari billionaire is confident his bid for the club will succeed, despite rumours that the Glazers could end up staying.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also aiming to take over United, and may even allow the Glazers to retain a 20% stake in the club.
Fans are in a position to protest United’s existing owners when the Reds take on Aston Villa on Sunday (2pm).
And Ten Hag opened up ahead of this clash, admitting his lack of centre-backs with Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane all struggling to be fit.
“We have to look from game to game and now we have to look at Villa and see what is more productive against Villa,” the 53-year-old said.
“But we don’t have as many functions in this position.
“A left-back like Luke is already doing it very now as a left-back. “