Paris Saint-Germain reportedly offered Manchester City the chance to capture Brazilian forward Neymar this summer but they turned down the offer.
The 30-year-old’s future was debated during the summer window, with reports stating that the French giants were eager to transfer him before the deadline.
There have also been rumours that Neymar’s future has caused friction between other star strikers Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, with the latter apparently wanting to see the Brazilian gone.
Both Neymar and Mbappe recently clashed over the order of penalty takers during a Ligue 1 win against Montpellier in the middle of last month, with the former disobeying team orders to take a spot kick ahead of the latter, who is their designated penalty taker.
Mbappe turned down the opportunity to join Real Madrid and signed a new three-year contract with PSG earlier this summer, and the 23-year-old now apparently has a stronger say in how the club works both on and off the field.
With PSG knowing of Mbappe’s thoughts on Neymar, Marca reports that PSG sought prospective suitors for the Brazilian and offered him to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The Premier League winners, however, turned on the opportunity to sign the former Barcelona forwards because they did not want to bring in a player who could potentially affect the dynamic within the dressing room.
The Citizens also had no desire to bolster their attacking options further, having previously recruited Erling Braut Haaland to their ranks, while Julian Alvarez was signed in January and has since joined the first-team squad.
Meanwhile, according to a different source, Neymar was also offered to Chelsea, who were looking for a new forwards but instead signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona.
Neymar, who has been with PSG since a world-record cost in 2017, stated last month that he wanted to stay at the Parc des Princes this summer.
“I want to stay at Paris Saint Germain,” Neymar told AFP. “No one from the club told me anything about the plans for my future, as things stand. I don’t know what kind of plans they have for me – I want to stay.”
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PSG head coach Christophe Galtier also indicated his wish to keep the Brazilian, telling reporters, “I’ve always been clear that I want him to stay. There are many games until the start of the World Cup and there will be a need for us to rotate.
“In addition to our starting lineup, I want there to be five players with the same potential who can come in. There will be time for everyone to feature. I know where Neymar can be more comfortable, like Messi.
“They are players with a great ability to find themselves between the lines and be decisive.”
Neymar has had an outstanding start to the 2022-23 season for the reigning Ligue 1 champions, scoring nine goals and providing six assists in only six games across all competitions.
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