According to Marca, Barcelona star Neymar turned down a staggering €50 million contract, access to a private jet and a string of hotels from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The Barcelona forward was linked with a series of moves over the transfer window, including a possible switch to PSG and Manchester United. Instead, he chose to remain in Spain and signed a new five-year deal with the Spanish champions.
According to Marca and his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, a meeting was scheduled between the PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Neymar and his father in Ibiza.
The representative revealed that Neymar would have received a five-year deal worth €50 million, use of a private jet for traveling to Brazil games, and a share in a chain of hotels that would use his name, much like Cristiano Ronaldo’s business.
At a later meeting in Sao Paulo, PSG informed the Brazilian star that they would play the release clause written into his Barcelona deal.
‘We were talking for two hours and Neymar was excited,’ Ribeiro told ESPN Brasil, ‘Al-Khelaifi explained that tax would not be an issue and he’d be No 1 in the team, which cannot happen at Barcelona.
‘I told Neymar it was an unrealistic proposal, he’d become the highest paid player in the world.
‘If Neymar stayed in Barcelona it’s because he’s happy there, in the club and the city. I wanted him to go to PSG but his father advised him to stay.’
For all the negative things that are written about Neymar for his off-the-field antics, to walk away from this kind of offer from PSG took a lot of courage, especially with the Brazilian contingent that PSG already have at the club, which would have made the transition from Spain to Paris much smoother.