Neymar has been unveiled as the Saudi Pro League's latest big-money signing, after Paris St-Germain agreed a final fee of £77 million plus add-ons with Al-Hilal. The 31-year-old is expected to receive around £275 million over the course of his two-year contract.
Neymar's representatives were immediately receptive to a big money offer from the same club that had been spurned by Kylian Mbappe last month. The club unveiled Neymar as an Al-Hilal player after he passed his medical on Monday.
With Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami earlier this summer, sources close to talks said the deal for Neymar marked the "official end of the Galacticos era in Paris". The incoming fee and the departure of a player receiving a salary of £21 million a year will significantly ease any financial fair play fears for the club. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG chairman, has given the green light to major reforms that will see Luis Enrique encouraged to sign younger talents.
Neymar was under contract with PSG until 2027 but is now the Saudi Pro League's biggest name alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. He scored 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG, winning five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups. His time at PSG was blighted by a catalogue of injuries, and he underwent surgery on his right ankle in early March.
At Al-Hilal, the Brazilian joins up with a host of eye-catching signings, including Ruben Neves from Wolves and Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea. The team were defeated 2-1 by Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup on Saturday.
Expenditure in the Saudi Pro League has been turbo-charged this summer after Al-Hilal became one of four of the kingdom's top clubs to be taken over completely by the Public Investment Fund as part of plans to eventually privatize them. As part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, there are aims for the revenue of the league to increase to £400 million annually by 2030.
Neymar, who will wear the club’s No 10 shirt, signed his contract at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris with Al-Hilal chairman Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel.
Neymar mentioned in a press release from the club that he has achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but he has always wanted to be a global player and test himself with new challenges and opportunities in new places.
He added that he wants to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment. According to his press release statement, he claims to have heard a lot and learned that he will be following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so he believes it is the desired place for him.
