Posted in: 29/06/2022 – 17:18Last updated: 29/06/2022 – 17:16
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazilian defender Thiago Silva hopes to see his “great companion” and his compatriot Neymar join the ranks of the English club Chelsea, who defends his colors, if rumors of the departure of the international striker from his current team, Paris Saint-Germain, the French champion, are confirmed.
“To join Chelsea! If he wants to leave, he has to go there,” the 37-year-old said late on Tuesday when asked by a journalist regarding the future of his former team-mate in the Parisian capital during a promotional event in Recife, northeastern Brazil.
The former Saint-Germain captain added with a smile, “Neymar, it’s not even worth talking regarding his qualities, his performance speaks for himself. In addition, he is a great friend.”
And Silva, who played eight seasons in Paris, including three alongside “Nye”, added: “I hope this will come true, and we will not be satisfied with rumors. At the moment, I am not aware of anything.”
Neymar, 30, extended his contract with Saint-Germain in May 2021 until 2025, but rumors of leaving have been chasing him since the statements of Qatari club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in an interview with the newspaper “Le Parisien”.
“We don’t want glamor anymore, it’s the end of glamor,” he said, in a clear reference to Neymar’s lifestyle under fire, following he signed with Saint-Germain in 2017 for a historic record deal worth 222 million euros from Barcelona.
Neymar failed to shine in the 2021-2022 season, which is the least prolific goal-scoring in his career since his move to the old continent, where he scored 13 goals and assisted 8 decisive balls in 28 games in all competitions with Saint-Germain.
© 2022 AFP
