All the talk around the Parc des Princes this summer has been centred around the futures of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Two of Paris Saint-Germain‘s three big superstars dominated their transfer window as they explored potential routes out of the French capital.
Messi achieved his goal, leaving the Ligue 1 champions after two seasons for a final swansong with David Beckham and Inter Miami, while Mbappe remains at loggerheads with the club over the final year of his deal and has been put up for sale.
Somewhat lost amongst the transfer turmoil is the third prong to PSG’s all-star trio, Neymar.
Compared to his partners in attack, it’s been a relatively quiet summer for the Brazilian, but given he could be the last superstar standing for PSG come the start of the season, what now for his future and legacy in Paris?
It’s a big season for Neymar as he looks to lead the attack and become PSG’s main man again
PSG have already seen Lionel Messi leave and there remains a standoff with Kylian Mbappe
Neymar looked a frustrated figure after being left on the bench in PSG’s clash with Al-Nassr
It’s easy to forget amid Al-Hilal’s £259m bid to bring Mbappe to Saudi Arabia that his team=mate remains the most expensive player in football history.
Neymar’s £200m move from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 is still the biggest transfer fee of all time, but there’s a huge question mark as to whether he has ever fully justified it.
In six seasons with the club he’s scored 118 goals in 173 appearances, while helping them win the Ligue 1 title five times out of those six.
On paper his stats look impressive, but compare them to the likes of Mbappe (212 goals in 260 games) or former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156 goals in 180 games) and they start to start to weaken his CV.
Frustratingly, Neymar’s time at PSG has been plagued by injuries, too, hampering his ability to ever really fulfil the huge price bestowed upon his head.
He missed the second half of last season after twisting his ankle in a game against Lille in February, just months after suffering a similar problem whilst representing Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar.
It put a premature end to his campaign last year as PSG once again failed to deliver the Champions League – the one trophy that has eluded the club since their big-money takeover, despite it being a key factor in bringing Neymar to the club.
Neymar’s failure to help secure a European Cup, his battles with injury and an exorbitant salary that still costs the club £22m per season has seen him come under fire from fans who would now like to see him leave.
In May, supporters even gathered outside his home to angrily call for him to wave goodbye. The same fans who also showed distain for Messi in his final months in Paris and most likely played a part in his departure.
Yet, so far, Neymar remains undeterred and recently confirmed he is staying with PSG, despite some early and unsubstantial talk that saw him linked with moves to both Chelsea and Manchester United.
He still has a contract with PSG until 2025, which similarly to Mbappe includes the option for a further year, and it feels like this season could be a real turning point in his story at the club.
The Brazilian is still the world’s most expensive footballer after his £200m deal in 2017
PSG fans turned up outside Neymar’s house last season to call for him to leave the club
Luis Enrique and Neymar worked together with great success when they were both at Barca
The Brazilian may have cut a frustrated figure as he watched on as an unused sub during PSG’s dire goalless draw with Al-Nassr on Wednesday, but he would have seen a team that lacked a cutting edge – which he can very much deliver.
The good news is that in the dugout comes a familiar face in the form of his former boss at Barcelona Luis Enrique.
Together, the pair won a historic Treble in Enrique’s debut season at the Nou Camp after Neymar formed one of the deadliest trios football has ever seen alongside Messi and Luis Suarez – something PSG hoped to replicate by recruiting the Argentine and Mbappe to play alongside him.
With Messi gone and the fans’ frustration almost certainly set to turn on Mbappe – given there seems to be no resolution to his contract standoff – this season feels like a clean slate for Neymar.
Potentially without both of his superstar peers either side of him, his status as the club’s ‘main man’ has been reinstated and PSG’s new-look attack will be centred around him once again.
He’ll need some help, and it’s no surprise that the Parisians are being linked with Rasmus Hojlund and Harry Kane as they look to fill the void, but Neymar will be the focal point – he’ll be the star.
With a clean bill of health, a manager who knows and believes in his abilities and a spotlight shining solely on him, the pieces feel like they are finally falling into place for Neymar to live up to his 2017 billing and finally create a lasting legacy in Paris.
