Neymar is set to make a switch to the USA and reunite one of football’s greatest ever trios; while a Barcelona captain is moving to the Premier League.
All that and more in the latest edition of Transfer Whispers.
ICONIC TRIO SET TO REUNITE AFTER NEYMAR SWITCH
Brazilian great Neymar is set to link up with a pair of old teammates amid reports of a move to the USA’s Major League Soccer.
The 34-year old’s contract with boyhood club Santos is just months away from expiring, with relations appearing to sour after Neymar left the club’s training facility and missed a recovery session without permission.
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MLS powerhouse Inter Miami has emerged as a leading destination should the star midfielder need to find a new home as a free agent.
And Miami just so happens to have two modern football titans in Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez also on the roster.
The pair combined with Neymar to form one of the most high-profile attacks in the game’s history at Barcelona from 2014-2017.
Dubbed ‘MSN’, they won the Champions League, Copa del Rey and La Liga treble in 2015 while breaking multiple goalscoring records as a trio.
The iconic partnership was ended when Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a record 222 million euro transfer fee, which remains the biggest on record.
He reunited with Messi at PSG after the Argentinian great’s blockbuster move from Barcelona in 2021, before they both departed in 2023 – Messi to Inter Miami, Neymar to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and then back to Santos.
Messi has been the face of the club for the last three years, scoring 62 goals in 68 games and helping MLS shatter viewership records.
He was joined in 2024 by Suarez.
Neymar has suggested that he would consider retirement if remaining at Santos beyond 31 December this year, when his contract expires, is no longer an option.
BARCA CAPTAIN TAKES PAY CUT FOR REDS SWITCH
Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo has completed a move to Liverpool.
The deal sees the defender join the Reds on a season-long loan with an option to make the switch permanent.
A need for experience and versatility at the back under new manager Andoni Iraola makes Araujo’s signing important for the 2020/21 Premier League champions.
According to reports, the 27-year old will take a pay cut to facilitate the transfer, with Liverpool agreeing to cover his wages for the entire loan.
“I’m excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history,” Araujo said.
“I’m excited to meet my teammates, excited to get started playing, and I’m very motivated and really up for getting going.
“I think it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take.
“As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.”
Araujo was appointed Barca captain in January after predecessor Marc-Andre ter Stegen departed on loan to Girona.
Such was his standing at the club that his release clause was set at 1 billion euros.
However, injury issues have become a concern, having suffered 17 separate setbacks since 2018.
He requested a mental health break after receiving a red card in a Champions League clash with Chelsea in November last year.
GUNNERS GREAT HEADS TO CANADA
Chilean great Alexis Sanchez will continue his career in Canada, after becoming CF Montreal’s designated player.
The 37-year old is Chile’s all time leading games player and goalscorer and enjoyed celebrated stints at European powerhouses Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
He has spent the last two seasons with La Liga club Sevilla.
Montreal have teased the signing on social media, while also confirming Sanchez will wear his famed No. 10.
The signing is a major boost for Montreal, who sit second last in MLS’ Eastern Conference with a 4-4-10 win-draw-loss record.MLS’s designated player rules allow up to three signings per club to go beyond the league’s salary cap, with the excess paid by club owners.
Regarded as one of the best wingers of the 21st century, Sanchez has 51 goals in 168 appearances for Chile.
He won the La Liga title with Barcelona in 2012/13 and the Club World Cup in 2011, and was Arsenal’s Player of the Season in 2014/15 and 2016/17.