Neymar stays?
As the summer transfer window, a period wrought with rumours, ebbs towards its conclusion, one would expect the case to be similar with Neymar's transfer saga. However, the tale is yet to see more twists and turns as it shows no signs of letting down. Just Sunday, it seemed that the Brazilian's move to French giants Paris Saint Germain was inevitable.
On Monday though, it seemed like another case entirely as different media outlets reported that the Barcelona squad have apparently managed to change his mind, with Gerard Pique in particular, putting his foot down on social media and adamantly stating that Neymar will stay.
The Catalan star posted a Twitter image of himself with teammate Neymar on Sunday night, along with the message "Se queda,'' which translates as "he stays."
On the other hand, a source close to Neymar, when asked about the motives behind Pique's post, told ESPNFC that he had "no idea" why the Spain international shared the image.
Similarly, Spanish outlet Sport reported that teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez managed to convince Neymar to remain at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail and Manchester Evening News, citing a Spanish media outlet, reported that Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is believed to have urged his Brazilian rival not to quit Barcelona this summer, and only leave the Spanish giants for Manchester United.
The Real Madrid icon has a close relationship with Neymar due to their shared commitments with sponsorship giants Nike, and the Portuguese star is believed to have sent a message to his counterpart advising him on the situation.
As stated on Diariogol, Ronaldo sent a series of WhatsApp messages warning the 25-year-old about swapping La Liga for Ligue 1 and instead told him to wait for a move to United.
The title reports that Ronaldo has told Neymar it would be a mistake to leave the Catalan club, particularly to make a downward step to a smaller European side.
Neymar's future came under speculation amid reports that Paris Saint-Germain had agreed to activate his release clause of almost €220 million.
Sources said on Saturday that Neymar had told PSG he wants to move to the Parc des Princes and agreed to terms of contract.
The source said Neymar and his father, Neymar Sr., who has been in discussions with PSG's Qatari owners and sporting director Antero Henrique for the past few days, have agreed to a massive contract of at least four years which would possibly see the Brazilian star paid £500,000 per week.
The terms of the deal would see the 25-year-old earn about €30m a year after taxes and would also be given a signing bonus in excess of his net annual sum.
The Neymar saga looks set to serve up plenty more surprises before the transfer window slams shut on August 31.
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