Paris Saint-Germain attacker Neymar has reportedly given the green light to a lucrative summer transfer to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal.
The Brazil international shone as part of the famed front three with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe last term, before his campaign was cut short due to a serious ankle injury.
Neymar - whose PSG contract runs until 2025 - was originally seen as the least likely member of the trio to move on, as Messi packed his bags to join MLS side Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, Mbappe's future has been a far bigger talking point than Neymar's after the Frenchman initially refused to extend his deal beyond 2024, leading to the expectation that he would be sold this summer.
However, Mbappe is now said to be open to a contract extension after being re-integrated into first-team training, which could open the door for Neymar to take on a new challenge elsewhere.
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Talk surrounding a potential move to the riches of Saudi Arabia has gathered pace in recent days, and according to L'Equipe - via The Mirror - Neymar has now agreed to a transfer to Al-Hilal.
The report claims that the ex-Barcelona man will sign a two-year deal with Al-Hilal, and his contract will be worth a staggering £150m per year, but the Saudi Arabian side are yet to agree a fee with PSG.
The French champions are willing to take a significant economic hit on the world-record £198m they shelled out to sign the attacker in 2017, and a fee of £70m could do the trick.
Neymar's father had previously played down his son's chances of a summer exit from the Parc des Princes, but the attacker was left out of the PSG squad for their opening Ligue 1 draw with Lorient on Saturday alongside a plethora of other unwanted stars.
The Brazil international is seemingly set to leave the French capital having directly contributed to 195 goals in 173 matches for Les Parisiens in all competitions, chalking up 118 of his own while setting up 77 more.
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Neymar has won a quintet of Ligue 1 titles with PSG, but he has failed to help Les Parisiens secure a maiden Champions League crown and has missed a good chunk of matches through a number of injury problems.
The South American came up with 18 goals and 17 assists from his first 29 matches in the 2022-23 season, but his bright start was curtailed by a campaign-ending ankle problem in February.
Ahead of Neymar's expected departure, PSG have added Goncalo Ramos, Marco Asensio and Lee Kang-in to their attacking ranks - all of whom started against Lorient - while triggering the £6m buyback clause in Xavi Simons's PSV Eindhoven deal before loaning him out to RB Leipzig.
Les Parisiens are also thought to be working on a deal to sign Lyon starlet Bradley Barcola, although Mauro Icardi has left permanently for Galatasaray, while Hugo Ekitike could also depart before the end of the window after he was demoted to train with the "undesirables" by new head coach Luis Enrique.
PSG will aim to pick up their first Ligue 1 win of the season at the second attempt when they travel to Toulouse next Saturday.
Ben Knapton
