Neymar set to sign new PSG contract

Neymar is expected to imminently sign a new long-term contract with Paris Saint-Germain that will extend his commitment to the French giants until the summer of 2026.

Neymar, who remains the most expensive player in history as a result of his €222m transfer from Barcelona in 2017 that more than doubled the previous world transfer record, was under contract until 2022. However, a new deal has been on the cards for a little while.

Things have dramatically changed since 2019 when the Brazilian was seemingly determined to leave PSG and return to Barcelona, only for his former club to fail to come up with an adequate offer.

Neymar spoke about his future at the end of January, stating that he is now ‘truly happy’ at PSG, citing a change in circumstances and feeling more settled himself.

Around the same time, Brazilian journalist Marcelo Bechler, who was an early major source of information when Neymar agreed to join PSG in the first place, reported that a new long-term contract was ‘very close’ to being signed.

A few weeks later, PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed that contract talks were indeed ‘on the right track’ and heading towards an agreement between the two sides.

Now, L’Equipe writes that a new contract until 2026 is ‘done’. That deal is said to be worth an enormous €30m per season and includes a big Champions League bonus if PSG finally get over the line in that competition.

A new deal until the summer of 2026 will mean that Neymar commits most of the rest of his career to PSG. He is already 29 and will have celebrated his 34th birthday by the time that deal expires. If he sees it through to completion it will also means he has been at PSG for almost a decade by then.

L’Equipe adds that PSG are also keen to secure a new contract for Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is in a similar position to Neymar in that his current deal runs until 2022, meaning that a fairly imminent extension is important, otherwise the club will have to consider selling or risk the possibility of losing him on a free transfer in just over a years’ time.

But while Neymar over the course of this season has always been leaning more towards a new contract, Mbappe has publicly acknowledged that he is carefully considering his next step.

He said in January that while he is happy at PSG, he wants his decision to reflect where he wants his career to go in the next few years, which might not necessarily mean staying at Parc des Princes.

“I don't want to sign a contract and say a year later that I want to leave. If I sign it is to stay and that deserves time to reflect on my decision,” the 22-year-old explained at the time.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!