Why PSG Must Forget About Cristiano Ronaldo and Target Neymar Instead
Paris Saint-Germain are preparing to enter what will almost certainly be Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s final six months with the French champions.
The Sweden international is tied to the capital club until the summer of 2016, and there has been no indication that the 34-year-old will be offered a new contract. However, there is plenty of speculation that he will be moving away from France at the end of his current deal.
If Ibrahimovic has not been offered an extension to his present terms by PSG’s ambitious Qatari owners already, then it is probably because Les Parisiens’ leaders are aware that the talismanic striker already knows what his next move is going to be and where he will go.
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Recently, Sunday People (h/t Goal) reported that Zlatan’s future lies in the English Premier League, specifically Arsenal. However, just days before that, the Scandinavian superstar had claimed when speaking with L’Equipe (h/t ESPN FC's Mark Rodden) that it is “too late” for a move to England.
After firing the Sweden national team to 2016 UEFA European Championship qualification with a dominant overall display during their 4-3 aggregate victory over neighbours Denmark in the two-legged play-off, the PSG man expressed his doubt that an EPL switch is on the horizon.
However, he did make clear in the same interview with L’Equipe that he is entering his “last six months” in Paris. That should be taken as a near-confirmation that Ibrahimovic’s time at Parc des Princes is coming to an end.
Speculation has been rife for some time that PSG are hoping to bring Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the French capital next summer to replace their current star man.
According to RMC Sport’s Mohamed Bouhafsi (in French), the Portuguese star’s agent Jorge Mendes dined with the French giants’ president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in Madrid last week. The three-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner’s name is believed to have featured heavily in their conversation.
However, the latest on the 30-year-old’s future is that a PSG move is “impossible.” At least that is what Mendes told Canal+ TV (h/t AS) recently.
In terms of identifying and obtaining another player like Ibrahimovic, it is a very difficult and unenviable task for PSG.
There is only one Zlatan. Trying to find another player who combines as many different talents as the Swede with the same consistency—not to mention character—can be considered as impossible a task as Mendes' moving Ronaldo to Paris after his latest comments.
If not Ronaldo then, who could—or should—PSG be looking at to fill the chasm that Ibrahimovic will leave at Parc des Princes?
Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of Europe’s most in-form marksmen at present. The Gabon international knows Ligue 1 well and has the sort of versatility that Laurent Blanc could really use at this moment in time.
Aubameyang will doubtless be pricey considering his current red-hot form, but it is also likely that his German employers will be forced to at least consider selling him if a big offer is tabled next summer.
Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski is another option for PSG to consider. However, like Aubameyang, the Poland international will not be cheap.
Also, there is little chance that Pep Guardiola will be willing to sanction the 27-year-old’s departure when he is in such a rich vein of scoring form. On top of that, Lewandowski does not have the same versatility as Aubameyang, nor does he have the same star aura that surrounds Ibrahimovic.
Although he would provide PSG with the sort of cutting edge in front of goal that they still lack, he arguably does not tick enough boxes to convince the owners to pay the same sort of sum being touted in links with Ronaldo.
If the PSG hierarchy were watching last Saturday’s latest instalment of El Clasico between Barcelona and Real, possibly to keep tabs on the Portuguese, then they may well have been provided with another realistic alternative target.
Since Barca wizard Lionel Messi injured his knee in a 2-1 win over Las Palmas back in September, Neymar has stepped forward and filled the void left by the Argentina international at Camp Nou.
The Brazilian superstar scored 11 goals across all competitions during Messi’s absence, while Uruguay international Luis Suarez helped himself to 10 as the pair combined to more than compensate for the unavailability of the 28-year-old.
Now that Messi is back in action after making his much-anticipated return in the 4-0 mauling of Real last weekend, though, the star pair will have to sink back into the shadows somewhat as the legendary Barcelona No. 10 retakes centre stage.
Neymar scored one and assisted another, while Suarez scored twice, ripping Los Blancos apart at the Santiago Bernabeu. Yet neither of the prolific pair are likely to ever be considered the Blaugrana’s main man with Messi still at Camp Nou.
Perhaps that is not important to a player like Suarez; the Uruguayan is already 28 and narrowly older than Messi anyway, and his family are very settled in Catalonia. However, Neymar is one of world football’s hottest properties at present and is still just 23 years of age.
The desire to become as important a figure at club level as he is internationally—the Brazil international is arguably his country’s biggest current star—could become more pressing in the future for the Barcelona No. 11.
On top of the fact that Messi will almost certainly remain king at Barcelona for as long as Neymar is at the club, the Selecao Brasileira icon’s insecure position with the Spanish giants off the pitch could push him to leave the club sooner rather than later.
Neymar’s father, Neymar Santos Sr, recently admitted to Cadena SER (h/t Goal’s Chris Davie) that due to his ongoing tax fraud case in Brazil, the player’s future in Spain could soon come under threat.
If that is true and Neymar is theoretically made available for transfer sometime soon—even if Barcelona are loath to lose him in principle—then PSG should not hesitate in switching their focus from Ronaldo to the Brazilian.
It would make far more sense for the French champions to spend big on a young, vibrant superstar like the Barca man rather than the Portuguese, who appears to be in decline with Real at present.
Both players would require exorbitant sums of money to obtain them, but not least because of their age, Neymar would be the shrewder move.
The Brazilian and Ronaldo are currently both among the world’s most talented players and are likely to stay close to the summit until the end of their careers.
However, with exactly seven years between them, PSG have a better chance of getting maximum value for money by investing in the younger option. The Ligue 1 champions can also offer Neymar the platform to become the star attraction for one of Europe’s strongest teams.
Also adding to the argument that Neymar would be the wiser investment for Les Parisiens is the fact that there is already a sizeable Brazilian contingent at Parc des Princes. That group would help the player to immediately feel at home and settle in.
The fact that there are already so many Portuguese speakers at PSG does not exactly put Ronaldo at a disadvantage, though.
There is also the question of where each player would fit position-wise. While there is no clear opening for the Real man in Blanc’s starting XI—even if Ibrahimovic does leave next summer—the Swede’s departure could create an immediate need for another wide option.
Assuming Zlatan does make his PSG exit at the end of this season, Edinson Cavani will finally get the central striking role and responsibility to be the focal point of the attack that he has craved—but not exactly warranted—since joining the capital club back in 2013.
With the PSG No. 10 gone, Blanc would technically be able to align a front three with Cavani in the middle, Angel Di Maria on the left and Lucas Moura or Javier Pastore on the right.
However, considering that Le President has mostly utilised Di Maria on the right and Lucas is only proving occasionally that he warrants a starting role in the face of such stellar competition for places, there could feasibly be room for a new wide option.
Those chances will increase if Ezequiel Lavezzi departs, as is expected, either in January or next summer.
Blanc could also change his formation entirely and move away from the 4-3-3 system he currently favours. Considering that the 50-year-old believes he is close to a new contract, though, according to ESPN FC, the French tactician is likely to stick with the tactics that have brought him this far.
Provided that happens, Le President can either utilise the players he already has at his disposal and find a way to play Cavani, Di Maria, Pastore and Lucas at the same time, or else bring in a new star name who will suit the current system.
With Ibrahimovic as big a presence off the pitch as he is on it for PSG, it is more than probable that the French juggernaut will seek to replace him with another big-name star next summer.
Ronaldo and Neymar both fit the bill, of course, but in terms of who could prove to be the better purchase long-term, there is no real competition.
If PSG want to acquire a player who can be a star on and off the pitch and feasibly for the next 10 years, as they attempt to dominate European football, then Neymar is the player Les Parisiens must target, not Ronaldo.
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