Real Madrid is keen to shake up the soccer world this summer.
Club president Florentino Perez wants to sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain following the 2018 FIFA World Cup this summer and is willing to offer the French club Cristiano Ronaldo plus cash in order to acquire the 25-year-old Brazilian, Cadena SER’s Yago de Vega reported Monday.
Real Madrid had pursued Neymar prior to his 2013 transfer to Barcelona, and Perez’s interest in signing the superstar forward has endured through the years. The rivalry between the clubs made signing Neymar from Barcelona all but impossible for Real Madrid, but the dynamics changed last summer when Neymar’s record transfer from Barcelona to PSG prompted Real Madrid to renew its chase.
Perez astonishingly is willing to part ways with reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who reportedly is unhappy with Real Madrid due to broken promises of a new contract and currently is mired in a goal-scoring slump. Ronaldo, 32, still is worth around €120 million (£107 million/$147 million), according to Transfermarkt.com, but PSG still would need Real Madrid to pay another €100 million (£89 million/$122 million) in order to recoup the transfer fee it paid Barcelona for Neymar.
