Chelsea have been linked with a move for Neymar as soon as their transfer ban ends in the summer.
Spanish outlet Don Balon say the Blues want to sign Neymar for $230 million and after an entire year of not spending, Chelsea will certainly have some cash in the bank. But will they really have that much to spend?
Neymar, 27, wanted to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer but his move to Barcelona or Real Madrid didn’t materialize and the Brazilian superstar is now lambasted by his own fans in the French capital.
It’s clear his move to PSG hasn’t quite worked out, as his main aim was to lead PSG to the UEFA Champions League title. That hasn’t happened and in his own words every PSG home game is now ‘like an away game’ as banners and chants against him are commonplace.
Would Frank Lampard and Chelsea want Neymar at Stamford Bridge?
There’s no doubting his sensational talent and his box office name will certainly generate plenty of extra income and cover a large chunk of the transfer fee and wages. However, Chelsea may struggle to fit in Neymar’s wage demands when it comes to financial fair play.
Per the report, it says that N’Golo Kante could be sold to Real Madrid to help finance the move for Neymar, which would not be popular among Chelsea fans. And even if you take the wages of Willian and Pedro out of the equation, both of whom could leave next summer, this would still take a huge financial package from owner Roman Abramovich. The fact Chelsea’s Russian owner is currently unable to be in the UK has seen spending diminish in recent seasons, but having a year of savings in the bank should help.
Neymar would give the Blues an x-factor and would be the replacement for Eden Hazard, but what would that mean for youngsters Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount?
This doesn’t really fit in with Chelsea’s model of promoting youngsters, but that was probably only a short-term thing anyway as they had to deal with FIFA’s transfer ban.
With money in the bank, Chelsea could probably afford Neymar. But would bringing him to Stamford Bridge, and everything else that comes with signing him, be worth it?
On the pitch he will probably scored 25-30 goals per season and be a huge hit, but off the pitch it has often been another story.
Can we picture Neymar speeding down Chelsea’s Kings Road in his Ferrari after going for a Full English Breakfast on a Wednesday morning? The first part is definitely on brand...