Real Madrid Transfer News: Neymar's Exit Process Reportedly Started Amid Rumours

The transfer saga involving Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar and Real Madrid continues to twist and turn, with the latest reports from France stating his father has met with agent Pini Zahavi to start working on a transfer.

French daily Liberation (via Sergio Gomez of AS) reported Neymar Senior visited Paris on April 24 to meet with Zahavi, the same man who was behind his move from Barcelona to Les Parisiens last summer.

Per the report, a source said his mission is to "open the doors to Europe’s top clubs" but also ruled out moves to Bayern Munich, former club Barcelona or any Premier League side―leaving Real as the only realistic possibility.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

The Spanish and French press have reported on these rumours non-stop, and on Wednesday, Fernando Kallas of AS stated PSG have set a monumental price tag of €260 million (£227 million) for the Brazilian. The French champions paid €222 million (£194 million) a year ago, smashing the transfer record in the process.

The same outlet also reported meetings have occurred before:

PSG have denied all of the speculation, and team-mate Adrien Rabiot maintains Neymar's future lies in Paris:

The 26-year-old has been sidelined since February with an injury, and the rumours have only increased while he took his time to recover. He recently returned to France and attended PSG's Coupe de France win over Les Herbiers on Tuesday.

While the 2017-18 campaign has been an excellent one for Neymar in terms of statistics and domestic honours, the club fell short of its ambitions in Europe. As their record transfer and biggest star, there were some who pointed at Neymar as a reason why, as he flopped in the first leg of the eventual UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid.

Andre Penner/Associated Press

He also had his issues with the fans―who booed him on multiple occasions―and manager Unai Emery, according to Le Parisien (h/t Sport English).

While the Spanish press seems adamant a transfer is in the works, a move is immensely complicated. Gomez acknowledged PSG have no intention whatsoever of selling their "flagship player," and Les Parisiens are more than just a football club to Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar and club owner.

PSG represent Qatar on an international level, and the ultimate goal is to reach the pinnacle of club football by winning the Champions League. Selling Neymar after just one year would be a bad look for the club, who have the kind of financial backing to decline any offer.