Neymar Reportedly Has 2019 Transfer 'Agreement in Principle' with Real Madrid

Real Madrid will reportedly attempt to complete the signing of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019 after reaching an "agreement in principle" with the Brazil international striker.

French source Le10 Sport (h/t Dan Gibbs of the Daily Express) has reported talks have been ongoing between Real and Neymar's father, who also acts as the 26-year-old's agent.

Those talks are said to have borne fruit, even though PSG would still need to consent to a sale before Neymar can sign a contract with Los Blancos.

The idea Real are getting closer and closer to an eventual deal for Neymar has been echoed by Barcelona legend Rivaldo.

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He told Betfair (h/t Gibbs) he believes his fellow Brazilian moving to the Spanish capital is inevitable: "For now, I must believe in his word that he will stay at PSG, but from what I know and the comments I hear, I tend to think that, sooner or later, he will end up at Real Madrid."

Rivaldo's words will be music to the ears of Real supporters after the club has spent most of 2018 linked with the world's most expensive player. Back in August, Sport (h/t Lloyd Johnson of the Daily Express) reported Real president Florentino Perez was prepared to offer £270 million in the event financial fair play sanctions were levelled against the Ligue 1 giants.

Later the same month, AS (h/t Dave Fraser of The Sun) identified Neymar as Los Merengues' priority for 2019 after failed attempts to lure PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe from the French capital.

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If staying on the case has finally yielded a breakthrough in Real's attempts to sign Neymar, it would represent a significant coup for Perez. He needs to inject some star power at the top end of a squad no longer enjoying the benefits of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals after the club's all-time leading scorer left for Juventus this summer.

There's no doubt Neymar fits the bill as the marquee "Galactico" Perez usually builds Real around. The former Barcelona ace remains one of the deadliest attackers in world football thanks to a mix of pace, flair and the ability to both create and score goals.

Those qualities were most recently on display at international level as Neymar inspired Brazil to a 5-0 win over El Salvador on Tuesday.

He got on the scoresheet to improve his tally alongside the nation's greats:

Neymar has also thrived in Ligue 1, scoring 25 times and providing 16 assists in domestic and UEFA Champions League action last season.

Yet there have been reports the prolific No. 10 is unhappy in the French capital, including one from El Pais (h/t Metro) in July detailing possible tension between Neymar and Mbappe.

Whether Real have made significant progress or not, the Spanish giants are unlikely to stop trying to bring Neymar back to La Liga.