Is Neymar leaving PSG this summer?

The football season in Europe is reaching its final stages, as most domestic leagues are almost over and and we’re about to get started with the Champions League quarter-finals in a week from now. In France, PSG seems to have everything under control in the Ligue 1, as they lead the table with 65 points, holding a 12-point advantage over 2nd placed Olympique Marseille. Many betting platforms like gg.bet/en/esports already believe the title fight is virtually sealed by now and it should only be a matter of time until PSG recover their French crown. It’s also fair to say it’s not much of a challenge for a star-stacked team to win the French league, despite having lost it to Lille just last season… In Europe, however, the competition is different and things haven’t gone the way the club owners, Neymar and his teammates have surely planned and wished…

When Neymar was signed by PSG in the summer of 2017, the French powerhouse was already reigning in France and winning most of the previous Ligue 1 titles in recent years. The Brazilian superstar was brought in with a very specific purpose in mind and that was to take the team to a higher level in Europe, which would eventually allow them to win the Champions League during his stay. However and after 5 seasons in Paris, it doesn’t seem the club has found the right formula for success and the Champions League dream keeps stubbornly fading away…

This season, we had a sort of a déjà-vu moment in the Champions League, as PSG qualified to the knock-out stages without much hassle, after securing the second spot of their group, just behind Manchester City. In the decisive games, however, after having secured an important advantage over their rivals Real Madrid, the Parisiens suddenly lost their focus, their intensity and most of important of all, their spirit. And just like it happened in previous seasons when they reach the decisive moments, they threw it all away in a matter of minutes.

PSG managed to beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16, in a game where the Spanish powerhouse couldn’t even hit a single shot on target during the entire game. PSG, on the other hand, dominated the match and could have grabbed a more comfortable advantage prior to the return leg. That never happened though. Nevertheless and in the second leg in Madrid, the French side was looking determined to go through to the quarter-finals in the first 45 minutes and even into half-time with a 1-0 lead thanks to another goal from Mbappé. However, everything changed when they conceded the equaliser and no one in the team was capable of turning things around anymore. Real Madrid would eventually complete the comeback and win the game by 3-1, leaving PSG with a bitter taste in their mouths for another year.

On a personal level, Neymar is not having a great season either, as he has only scored a total of 5 goals in 21 games played for PSG in 2021-22. The Brazilian superstar couldn’t score a single goal in the Champions League in his 6 appearances for the club, which is the first time it happens since he joined Europe and Barcelona back in 2013. With another disappointing outcome in the Champions League, many fans didn’t hesitate in pointing their fingers at Neymar and justifying the club’s lack of success with the Brazilian’s poor performances in the big games. Neymar, of course, isn’t happy with the situation either and there are solid rumors suggesting he is determined in leaving the club this next summer…

Sources: skysports.com / bbc.co.uk