Al-Hilal signs Neymar for £77m from PSG
Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal has completed the signing of Brazilian international, Neymar from French champions Paris St-Germain in a deal worth £77m (90m Euros) plus add-ons.
The 31-year-old Brazilian disclosed this in a video posted on the club’s social media accounts.
“I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali,” he said in the video.
Neymar is reported to earn 150m Euros (£129.2m) a year with the deal. This figure is six times the amount he earned at PSG, which he joined from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of 222m Euros. He was left out of the Parisian club’s squad for Saturday’s Ligue 1 game against Lorient.
The player made 173 appearances for the club, helping it win 13 trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles, as well as playing in the 2020 Champions League final with the club.
Al-Hilal had in this summer transfer completed the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly, former Chelsea defender, Ruben Neves, former Wolves captain and ex-Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The latest transfer of Neymar to Saudi Arabia continues the strategic initiatives of Saudi clubs to attract world-class footballers to the country’s domestic league. This started with 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al-Nassr in January. Stars like Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Allan Saint-Maximin, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have all moved to Saudi Arabia.
