It was reported last month that, in the wake of their penalty feud, Neymar demanded Paris Saint-Germain sell Edinson Cavani.
Neymar certainly didn’t look like a player who wanted Cavani gone when they were busy dismantling Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but it’s still easy to imagine the Brazilian throwing his weight around a little behind the scenes.
PSG have already made Neymar the most expensive footballer in history. Surely that title comes with certain privileges.
There are several reasons why the 25-year-old left Barcelona for Paris in August but one includes the desire to leave Lionel Messi’s shadow to become the star of the show in France.
He’s already made a great start at the Parc des Princes, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists in all competitions, and now sits on the throne once occupied by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The PL star Neymar told PSG he wanted
According to French outlet Le Parisien, PSG got an idea of the type of demands Neymar would make when he negotiated his £197 million switch from Barça.
It is reported that the Brazil international included Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez on his wishlist of players to sign as he discussed terms with the French clubs.
Neymar’s arrival at the Camp Nou in 2013 contributed to Sanchez’s move to Arsenal a year later but Le Parisien claim the PSG star is eager to team up with the Chilean once again.
PSG could offer Cavani
Their report also suggests PSG are willing to offer Cavani to Arsenal in exchange for Sanchez, whose contract at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of the season.
PSG could wait until then and attempt to sign Sanchez without having to part with Cavani, but they would face stiff competition from several clubs across Europe.
That includes Manchester City, who were close to signing the 28-year-old in the summer window.
So it’s hardly a surprise that PSG would be prepared to sign Sanchez from Arsenal instead of waiting for his contract to run down.
Cavani has made a fast start to the season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, and his partnership with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has to be considered the best in Europe right now.
But the Uruguayan could be about to realise just how much influence Neymar has at PSG.