Neymar has signed a new three-year contract extension with Paris Saint Germain, keeping him at the French capital till 2025.
The Parisian club shared a video of Neymar, wearing a jersey with the number 2025 on the back and saying “Ici c’est Paris” (This is Paris), on Saturday – after years of speculation that the Brazilian could return to his former club Barcelona in the hunt for glory.
The 29-year-old joined PSG for a mind-boggling fee of £200m in the summer of 2017 after spending four years in Catalonia and has scored 85 goals in 112 games so far.
Neymar’s previous deal had tied him down at the club till 2022, and amid the rumours of his dissatisfaction at the quality of the French top-flight, Neymar had reportedly expressed his wish to reunite with Lionel at Barcelona in the past few years. However, upon reaching the Champions League final last season, Neymar eventually changed his opinion and opted to focus on his career with the French champions and has finally agreed to extend his stay at Paris for another four years.
“I’m really pleased to continue my adventure at Paris Saint-Germain. I’m very happy in Paris, and proud to be part of this squad,”
“These are things that make me believe even more in this great project.”
“Of course, my goal when I came was to help get Paris Saint-Germain to the top, among the very best, and we are getting close.”
“We are gaining more and more experience to help us negotiate these types of games.”
he told PSG’s official website.
While Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the club’s CEO, voiced his relief at the news adding,
“I am proud that Neymar Jr has reaffirmed his long-term commitment to the PSG family through to 2025, and will continue to delight fans. We are very happy to see him continue as part of our project and to be alongside us for many years to come.”
The forward has been criticised for his ineffective performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last term and once again had a limited impact when PSG were eliminated by Manchester City in the tournament’s last four recently. But Neymar remains optimistic about their chances of European glory.
Neymar’s attitude has also drawn flak among his critics, with his leadership being questioned repeatedly down the years. The superstar has often lost his temper in the pitch and criticized his teammates, opponents and even the fans at one stage. The lavish birthday parties with his entourage in February raised questions over his professionalism and accountability for his employers.
“I have changed a lot. I have learned a lot. Things have happened that should not have happened,”
“We had fights, a few sad times, but overall, the evolution has been very positive”
“I hope that the pandemic will end soon (and) that the fans will return to the stadium to support us and encourage us,”
he said.
PSG are currently four points behind league leaders Lille and have a bleak chance of retaining the domestic crown after a rocky start to the season. The Parisians have lost eight league games so far, five more than Lille but Neymar feels that the club is on the right track and that Mauricio Pochettino, who joined mid-season is “a great coach who will certainly help us even more.”
The French giants are also eager to extend Kylian Mbappe’s deal with the 22-year-old’s contract expiring at the end of next season.
