PSG shuts door on Real Madrid for Joao Neves and teammates

Paris Saint-Germain has no intention of selling any of its players to Real Madrid, despite the bombastic declarations from Florentino Perez as part of his campaign for the Madrid club’s presidential election.

In search of a new Galáctico, the outgoing Merengues president announced that if re-elected, he would recruit Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, and above all a €150 million player he described as “one of the best players from a Champions League team”. Perez clarified that this target would be neither Michael Olise nor Erling Haaland, thus ruling out any Premier League player.

These clues significantly narrow the field of candidates. FC Barcelona, crowned Spanish champions for the second consecutive season, should not sell one of its players to its great rival. The names of Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) are circulating, but it is towards PSG — just crowned European champions for the second time — that most eyes are turning. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Vitinha and Joao Neves are all mentioned as profiles matching Perez’s description, with some journalists leaning towards Vitinha, others towards Neves.

But the capital club does not seem willing to play along. According to journalist Abdellah Boulma, PSG “views with considerable skepticism the promises made in the context of Real Madrid’s elections”, perceiving them internally as “campaign statements that are purely electoral communication”. The Paris club says it is not worried about a possible Madrid offensive, and the door appears closed for Neves as well as his teammates.