Paris Saint-Germain are open to selling Neymar this summer and the Brazilian could be set for a shock return to Barcelona. Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks likely to leave Liverpool, Eddie Nketiah is set to sign a contract extension to stay at Arsenal and West Ham United’s contract talks with Tomas Soucek have stalled over the midfielder’s wage demands.
NEYMAR SET FOR CAMP NOU HOMECOMING?
Neymar could be set for a shock Paris Saint-Germain exit this summer, with Goal reporting that the French champions “are not against selling” the Brazilian “if the right transfer bid comes in”. The report states that club officials believe Neymar has “been in gradual decline” since joining in 2017 and have even questioned his attitude. The 30-year-old has no intention of leaving and his current contract expires in 2025. However, a potential return to Barcelona has been suggested following rumoured discussions between the two clubs in the winter transfer window.
Paper Round’s view: PSG have just committed a huge amount of money towards Kylian Mbappe’s new contract and are probably looking for ways to balance the books. Neymar has been a fairly disappointing signing since he joined for a world-record transfer fee from Barcelona. He was meant to be the superstar who elevated PSG to becoming Champions League winners. Now the club have made Mbappe their main man. Realistically, it will be extremely difficult to get rid of Neymar due to the contract extension he signed last summer. Would PSG be willing to loan him out?
OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN UP FOR SALE
Liverpool are ready to part ways with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer after five years at the club. The 28-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract and the Reds would prefer to cash in on Oxlade-Chamberlain, instead of allowing him to leave as a free agent in 2023. The former England international has attracted the attention of Premier League duo Aston Villa and West Ham United, while Newcastle United were in talks with Liverpool over either a permanent or loan signing in January. The Merseyside club are likely to demand more than £10 million for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Paper Round’s view: Oxlade-Chamberlain has proven his quality in the past, but his fitness levels seem to be an issue. The former Arsenal midfielder struggled with the same problems in north London and failed to get any kind of consistency in his play due to the stop-start nature of his appearances. Unfortunately, he just is not good enough to be given enough opportunities in this Liverpool side – so he will be forced to take a step down to get more game time. His versatility across midfield and wing-back will make him an exciting proposition for whichever club signs him.
NKETIAH SET FOR ARSENAL U-TURN
Arsenal have tabled a “final offer” of a contract extension to Eddie Nketiah. The 22-year-old striker is rapidly approaching the expiration date on his current deal in north London and has previously rejected extension offers from the Gunners. However, the Sun reveal that Nketiah could be set to stay at the Emirates Stadium this summer after finishing the season as the club’s first-choice striker. The report states that interested parties such as West Ham United, Crystal Palace and others are expecting Nketiah to commit his future to Arsenal.
Paper Round’s view: This will save Arsenal a bit of cash this summer and will help maintain the home-grown numbers in the squad. Nketiah has proven himself as a decent back-up option and should get more minutes next season as Arsenal compete in the Europa League. However, the academy graduate should not be expecting to be a starter in north London. The Gunners are clearly planning to prioritise signing a striker this summer – which means Nketiah will be spending a lot of minutes on the bench again next season.
SOUCEK CONTRACT EXTENSION TALKS STALL
West Ham United’s contract talks with Tomas Soucek have stalled due to the two parties being unable to agree on a suitable pay rise. The 27-year-old, who has two years remaining on his current deal with an option for an additional year, is still hoping to convince the east London club to continue with negotiations. West Ham manager David Moyes is keen to add some more depth to his midfield this summer and is tracking Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips.
Paper Round’s view: There’s no doubting that West Ham need to improve their options in central midfield, but that’s not a dig at Soucek. The Hammers are losing club captain Mark Noble to retirement and Alex Kral’s loan spell from Spartak Moscow has not been successful. Soucek has proven himself as a complete midfielder since arriving in the Premier League and he has formed an impressive partnership with Declan Rice. It is likely that the Czech Republic international is due a pay rise simply due to his imposing performances over the past two and a half years.
