It’s Now or Never for PSG to Deal Neymar
Paris St-Germain is on the cusp of massive change whether the club’s hierarchy likes it or not. Their world-record investment in Neymar has proved to be a costly one (243 million) as the player has failed to deliver on a Champions League trophy.
So no matter how you spin it, PSG’s gamble on Neymar is a massive failure. Even so, it’s not too late to right the wrong. Here’s what I’m seeing that Barca is offering PSG.
$187 Million For Neymar
$ 112 For Neymar including Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo
Personally, I think Barca’s best offer was the one that involved Dembele, Coutinho, and cash. But with Coutinho now at Bayern Munich, that deal is dead. PSG must now look elsewhere if they’re to deal Neymar.
Citizen TV
So at this point, dealing Neymar is a necessity. There’s simply too much baggage and keeping the Brazilian in Paris is not in the clubs best interest.
Against Toulouse on Sunday, PSG won 4-0 but the clubs two most potent attacking pieces, Kylian Mbappe, and Edinson Cavani both picked up injuries that will sideline both players for 3-4 weeks respectively.
With Neymar yet to feature for PSG amid the transfer rumors, PSG is going to have dig deep in order to win games. Next weekend, the club will take on FC Metz on the road this upcoming weekend and then they will have 2-weeks off thanks to the international break.
Yahoo Sports
Metz sits at 11th with only 1 win in 3 games. This game should prove an easy one for PSG but without Mbappe and Cavani things could get tricky.
With Mbappe and Cavani both out and Neymar yet to feature as his future is up in the air, it’s become apparent about how little depth PSG actually has. Manager Thomas Tuchel will have to dig deep in order to keep the club in the top section of the table.
Considering the absence of PSG’s three best attacking options, perhaps playing with a back-five would be a wise decision. With an abundance of able-bodied defenders, it wouldn’t be a crazy idea plus PSG could preserve some depth in the attack which is crucial if the club is to make impactful substitutions. Here’s how I think they should line-up on Friday.
No cap… I think this lineup is FIRE. Can it drive deep into the Champions League? Hell no but it can keep PSG sitting pretty in Ligue 1.
A lot of responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of Di Maria but he’ll have solid help in Choup-Moting and Sarabia. Plus, Draxler facilitating the attack in the #10 role will is big for the Paris side.
But let's slam the brakes real quick. Let’s say Neymar ends up back at Barca by the end of the summer transfer window and Ousmane Dembele joins the team along with Nelson Semedo.
First of all, both players would be welcomed but only one would have an impact much bigger than anticipated. I don’t see Semedo overtaking Thomas Meunier at the right-back position. But I do see Dembele making the starting XI. Dembele playing on the right or left flank opposite Mbappe has the making of the most lethal counter-attack in all of football. With Cavani on the last year of his contract and at 32-years-old, PSG would be stupid to pass up on such an attacking threat in Dembele, especially considering how young he is.
TF1
I don’t want to beat a dead horse because I’ve been saying that Dembele should join PSG for months now. But it is worth noting that he’d be under his former Borussia Dortmund manager, Thomas Tuchel, and he’d be playing with fellow countrymen in Kylian Mbappe, Presnel Kimpembe, and Alphonse Areola just to name a few.
So PSG is facing a major dilemma. With Neymar’s future at the club in serious doubt, and with Cavani nearing the end of his contract, PSG needs to conduct some sound business and they need to do it fast. Mbappe is out as well as Cavani to make matters even worse. Can the Parisian side push through some meaningful deals? It remains to be seen but the clock is ticking.
Ligue1.com
Side note: Dembele’s agent Moussa Sissoko has recently been quoted saying “Ousmane stays at Barca 100%” (per 90min.com). Honestly, if I was him I’d fire the agent.
