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00:00 Now, it looks like a done deal. Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly struck an agreement with the
00:04 Saudi pro-league side Al-Hilal for the sale of Brazilian striker Neymar, subject to a
00:09 medical examination.
00:11 The BBC reports that the transfer fee is around 90 million euros. Neymar, who scored 118 goals
00:17 in 173 appearances at PSG, was contracted to stay in Paris until 2025.
00:24 For more, I'm joined by sports journalist Firas El Eshy. Thanks for joining us, Firas.
00:29 So is the saga finally over and does it signal a change of policy at PSG?
00:36 Clearly PSG are done with the stars, are done with these global icons that provide so much
00:41 in terms of media, but a lot less in terms of on the pitch and what they give to the
00:46 football team and the ambitions when it comes to the Champions League. They are done with
00:51 this policy. They're looking for the results instead of the marketing policy.
00:57 You know, five years ago, have you told me that Neymar is not going to win the Ballon
01:01 d'Or, is not going to win the World Cup, that the career at PSG would be the end of everything
01:07 and all that potential that this player promised in the beginning of his career? I would have
01:12 found that hard to believe, but it's a shame that his adventure in Paris and in Europe
01:17 comes to an end in this way. He will not be part of the greats. He will not be part of
01:22 those big history pages. And that's what's sad about this whole story. But yes, when
01:27 it comes to PSG and the episode with Kylian Mbappe this summer and Neymar not being part
01:33 of Luis Enrique plans in the future, yeah, they are done with the stars and now they're
01:37 looking to actually have players who are disciplined tactically, have players who don't get injured
01:43 three quarters of the season. And that's what Neymar's leaving PSG would mean.
01:48 But they're still very much hoping for a Champions League victory at some point, I assume.
01:53 It depends on whether Kylian Mbappe is staying this season. Without him, there's no way.
01:59 There were a couple of good signs watching them playing against Lorient, even though
02:02 it was like a goalless draw, but when it comes to the tactical discipline, the players were
02:07 disciplined. The players in terms of defending, in terms of the midfield with Huguard, there's
02:12 a lot of positive signs when it comes to this new squad. However, that last edge, that lethal
02:18 touch that you need at the end, at the final line, it just wasn't there. That messy touch
02:23 that opens the corner, that Kylian Mbappe run, it just wasn't there. So if Kylian Mbappe
02:29 isn't part of PSG this season, yeah, they can't look for it. They can't dream about
02:34 it. It's quite impossible when you have players like Ramos and Asensio, who are good enough
02:38 to win the Ligue 1, but not good enough to win the Champions League.
02:43 That'll be fascinating to follow this season. Now, Al Hilal then, they couldn't get Mbappe,
02:48 they couldn't get Messi. Neymar's a pretty good third option for them, isn't it? And
02:53 I mean, for Saudi Arabia more generally, it's a coup, isn't it?
02:56 It is, it is. I mean, Saudi Arabia's policy is quite interesting. I think in a couple
03:01 of... I wouldn't even... they didn't even get to $2 billion of spending when it comes
03:06 to this transfer market. However, they sort of managed to do what Qatar did with $220
03:11 billion of spending hosting the World Cup, which is keeping Saudi Arabia's name in the
03:16 headlines in Europe. And that's what they manage. I mean, every week you have a story.
03:21 Once Mane's story faded, you got Henderson. Once Henderson's story faded, you've got Riyad
03:27 Mehrez. And now you've got Neymar. Every week they are in the front pages in Europe. And
03:32 that's what they're trying to do here. It's part of the 2030 project, 2030 vision. It's
03:37 some sort of soft power, but they're doing it brilliantly and in a smart way. And now
03:42 Neymar is the latest in this series.
03:45 And just to add to the superstars you mentioned, Benzema, Ronaldo, Kante, Fafana. If we talk
03:50 about the players themselves, what's motivating them? I mean, most people are saying it's
03:54 purely the money.
03:56 What do you think? Of course it's money. Of course it's money. When a player is worth
04:00 20 and 30 and you offer them 100, 150, these are ridiculous amounts. So yes, it is mainly
04:09 the money. Look at them. I mean, they're players at the end of their career and no one else
04:13 on earth would offer them closer to 50 million and they're getting 100. So yes, obviously
04:18 it's the money. Now, some of them would say they're also ambitious enough to actually
04:23 try and change football in that region and shift the Saudi league and the entire region
04:29 in terms of football. There is some truth to that. There is some truth to what Ronaldo
04:32 is doing. There is some truth to what Benzema is doing. It will become a spotlight and a
04:38 hub of football in the Middle East and in Asia. But the number one motivation is obviously
04:44 money.
04:45 Right. And I don't know if you watched any of the first match day of the Saudi pro league
04:48 this weekend. Do you see it as a true challenge to the hegemony of European football and the
04:54 Premier League?
04:55 No, it doesn't. No, let's not. Let's like stay realistic about it. It is shifting things.
05:01 The first games were incredible in terms of football, in terms of the tactics, in terms
05:06 of the ambience. Everything is great. Everything is actually heading somewhere. But let's not
05:12 compare it to leagues that have been there and have been successfully there for a decade
05:17 now. So there's no comparison when it comes to the Premier League, 100 years old of tradition
05:24 and success and a worldwide spotlight. Everybody tunes every weekend around the planet to watch
05:30 the Premier League. So they are shifting somewhere. It will actually depend on the persistence,
05:37 because when it comes to the Qataris, for example, they did this 20 years ago and then
05:42 it faded. It was part of a short term project. So how far are you willing to go in terms
05:47 of persisting, in terms of keep this going? You know, this is what we would be watching.
05:52 And if they do it over 10, 20 years, they will be catching up with some European leagues,
05:57 but not right away and not with the Premier League.
06:00 Well, with the amount of money they're investing in right now, it certainly seems like it would
06:04 I'd imagine it's a long term project. Firat Selesi, thank you so much for your insight
06:09 there.