Neymar left out of PSG's first game as the exit approached

SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE

Paris Saint-Germain revealed on Saturday that Neymar's transfer talks are "more advanced than before" after the Brazilian was eliminated for the opening match of Ligue 1 of the French champions.

The sports director Leonardo confirmed to the journalists that the Brazilian was near the exit door, but that the PSG "was not yet ready to give his approval (to the transfer)" before Sunday's game against Nimes at Parc des Princes .

PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said: "Neymar did not complete the training and it is not possible to play tomorrow."

The club is impatient for the transfer saga to reach a conclusion, one way or another.

"It is important to shape our future for everyone," Neymar's Brazilian partner Leonardo said at a press conference.


"If he stays, he plays. If he leaves, he leaves. The faster (we know), the better."

Real Madrid or the return to Barcelona are the most likely destinations for the most expensive footballer in the world, and Spanish media said on Friday that the side of Zinedine Zidane will fight against Barça for the signature of the 27-year-old.

The sports newspaper AS said that the PSG offered Neymar to Madrid, which is open to sell if they can recover the 222 million euros ($ 249 million) they spent on it in 2017 or receive half of that amount with the players included in the agreement

Mundo Deportivo, based in Barcelona, ​​says that he would rather return to Catalonia to play alongside his former teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez.

Neymar started the new season annoying the Qatar-backed club when he arrived a week late to train.

The player camp said it had a prior agreement to stay away, but that was not enough for their employers, who threatened to take "appropriate measures."

Off the court, a Brazilian judge informed Neymar on Friday that the rape case that has been hanging on the player for months had been dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Neymar had vehemently denied accusations of raping a Brazilian woman at a hotel in Paris in May.

The striker, whose time in France was marked by injuries and controversies, made a series of comments that further strained his relationship with the club and provoked outrage on social networks.

When an online sports channel asked him about his best memory in football, he cited the incredible return of the Barcelona Champions League in the last 16 against PSG when he inspired the Catalans to a 6-1 victory in the second leg after a 4-0 loss in the first leg.

Neymar was signed by the PSG to reinforce their hopes for an inaugural Champions League title, but since then they have lost twice in the last 16th phase against Real Madrid and Manchester United.

He missed the last PSG games in both Champions League campaigns due to an injury and twice caused controversy last season.

Neymar insulted VAR officials on Instagram after the team was humiliated by United and received a three-game UEFA ban, and then seemed to hit a Rennes fan after the shocking final defeat of the French Cup of PSG



In total, he has scored 51 goals in 58 games for the capital's team, winning two titles in Ligue 1 and the 2018 French Cup and the French League Cup.