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On Wednesday (15th), ESPN Brazil published a report in collaboration with ESPN International stating that Brazilian star Neymar, 32, is in talks with three Major League Soccer clubs for a possible new home and team for the Brazilian football star.
If true, Neymar Jr. could leave Al-Hilal during this transfer window via contract termination, as his contract with the Saudi club runs until July 2025. This same information had previously circulated due to the fact that the Saudis did not register the player for the remainder of the domestic league because of the foreign player limit in the squad. Renan Lodi and Malcom, for example, were registered ahead of the former Barcelona star.
🚨🇺🇸 Chicago Fire have genuine interest in Neymar Jr but negotiations are not at advanced stages with player side so far.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 16, 2025
Neymar and his camp have not given any green light to proceed with formal contract proposal yet.
Early stages of the story and nothing imminent as of now. pic.twitter.com/38ySRQ9lmT
The ESPN Brazil report also stated that its source did not list Inter Miami CF, home to Lionel Messi, Suárez, and company, as a possible destination. Current head coach Javier Mascherano said in an interview that signing Neymar would be "almost impossible" under the league's current roster-building mechanisms.
One of the teams that made contact was the Chicago Fire, which finished the 2024 season in last place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points in 30 games. According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, the Fire, along with MLS executives, have already met with Neymar’s father, who manages the player, and reportedly made an offer similar to Messi’s deal with Miami, involving $20 million and incentives. Additionally, Chicago Fire holds Neymar's Discovery Rights within MLS. While this is not a major factor, it could potentially facilitate negotiations between both parties.
In a recent interview, Neymar stated that he is very eager to reunite the MSN trio with his friends Messi and Suárez, who are currently together in South Florida. He has also been approached by Santos, the club that developed him and where he won a Copa Libertadores before continuing his career in Europe, and Flamengo, the Brazilian giant set to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer.
In Europe, he won a UEFA Champions League and two Copa del Rey titles with Barcelona, and 5 Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain where he also reached a Champions League final but ended up losing to Bayern Munich.
The Brazilian star moved to Al-Hilal in 2023 and has only played 7 games for the Saudi team since then, due to an ACL tear and a hamstring injury. The local government is still working on the possibility of making Neymar one of the ambassadors for the 2034 World Cup, which will be held in the country.
