While Neymar recently admitted he would be open to a reunion with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, it seems The Herons have some competition to sign the Brazilian star. According to a new report from ESPN, there are other three teams from the MLS who are targeting the 32-year-old forward.
While the report, by Jeff Carlisle, only names the Chicago Fire as one of the clubs interested in the forward, it also states that, for now, Miami isn’t one of them. Recently, Javier Mascherano, who is coaching The Herons this season, admitted that it would be difficult for them to buy Neymar, due to the restrictions they have.
According to Brazilian sources, Neymar, however, hasn’t lost the hope to join his former Barcelona teammates, which apart from Messi, also include Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba. This report follows news that Al Hilal is also considering not registering him for the second part of the Saudi Pro League, which has only fueled the rumors that they are looking to let the Brazilian go once his contract expires in June.
After joining Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a staggering fee of $97.6 million, Neymar has had a difficult time. He tore the ACL of his left knee while on international duty in October 2023, and since then he has been in recovery.
Neymar has had a difficult time since signing with Al Hilal (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
He officially returned to the pitch in October 2024, a year later, but only played two matches before having to rest again due to a hamstring injury. He ended the year scoring a goal in a friendly with Al Hilal, and he is expected to return to Brazil’s national team in March.
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Neymar can start negotiating with other teams
As Neymar’s contract runs through June of 2025, he is already free to start talking with other teams. Apart from the interest in the MLS, his boyhood club Santos have also expressed interest in signing their former star, as they return to Brazil’s first division.
However, Neymar, apart from mentioning his interest in a potential reunion with Messi and Suarez, has remained mostly coy about his plans with the press. He recently said that he was “happy” in Saudi Arabia, and expressed his interest in playing the FIFA Club World Cup with Al Hilal.
Neymar’s numbers with Al Hilal
Due to his ACL injury, Neymar has made only seven league and cup appearances, and he scored one goal, in an AFC Champions League group stage match against Nassaji Mazandaran, on Oct. 3, 2023.
