(Updated with details; photo available)
Aug 15 (Reuters) – Brazil striker Neymar is leaving Paris-Saint-Germain to join Saudi club Al-Hilal, the two football clubs said in separate statements on Tuesday without giving details. The financial terms of the transfer are valued by the media at 90 million euros.
Neymar has signed a two-year deal with Al-Hilal, which L’Equipe claim will fetch him €160 million.
He is another big name in world football joining Saudi Arabia this summer, with its top clubs shelling out huge sums to sign French internationals including Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane or even Riyad Mahrez play in the country whose championship started last Friday.
Al-Hilal, the country’s most successful club, tried to sign Kylian Mbappe last month.
Stating that he had “achieved a lot” in Europe and always wanted to “test himself with new challenges”, Neymar expressed his desire to “write a new page in the game”.
“There are players with a lot of energy and quality at the moment in the Saudi Professional League,” he said after signing his contract on Tuesday. “I found out that a long list of Brazilian players have been playing in Saudi Arabia over the years, I think.” That this is the right place.” in Paris.
Arriving in the French capital in 2017 from FC Barcelona as part of a record sum in football history (222 million euros), Neymar played 173 matches with PSG, scoring 118 goals, and won the French Ligue 1 championship five times. ,
During his six seasons in Paris, the 31-year-old Brazilian striker was also a 2020 Champions League finalist, a trophy he won with Barcelona five years ago.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelafi said “it is always difficult to say goodbye to an extraordinary player like Neymar”.
“I will never forget (…) what he has brought to our club and the project over the past six years (…) Neymar will always be a part of our history,” he said in the statement. The Brazilian international, who has been described as a “legend”.
(Written by Jean Terzian)