I Love Neymar

The Santos striker Neymar has once again reaffirmed his commitment to the Brazilian club by saying that he wants to stay with his boyhood club for as long as possible. The 20-year-old Neymar has become one of the hottest properties in world football, with many clubs like Barcelona and Chelsea queuing up for his signature. He was widely linked with a move to Barcelona only a few months ago, but the resignation of Guardiola from his role as the Barcelona manager has now put the move in doubt. Neymar has spoken of his admiration for the former Barcelona manager by saying that he would one day like to work with him.

Guardiola was recently announced as the next manager for the German club at Bayern Munich. It will be interesting to see if the German club come in with a bid for the player, who has two years left on his current contract. Neymar has said that he does have a number of European ambitions, but is not in a hurry to experience them any soon. The player is expected to cost around £ 35 million for any club interested, which rules out most of the medium sized clubs out of the picture.

“He [Guardiola] is a great coach, one of the best in the world, and yes, I have a desire to one day work with him, as with the other great coaches in world football. But I will say it again: I want to carry on playing for Santos. I’m happy here,” said the Santos striker in a recent interview. It is understood that Neymar has a release clause of around € 70 million, but the club will be willing to negotiate a deal at a much lower price. Neymar has been urged to move to Europe by many pundits and former players.

Neymar has been one of the hottest properties in world football right now. He has been linked with some of the best clubs in the world like Barcelona, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. However, the Santos manager Muricy Ramalho is of the opinion that the 20-year-old should choose Barcelona over other clubs when he decides to leave the South American continent. Neymar still has two years left on his current contract and is widely expected to leave the South American continent after the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, there have been numerous attempts to prize him even before that.

Muricy Ramalho is of the opinion that the style of play that is adopted by Barcelona is extremely similar to the one used in Brazil. Hence, it is extremely easy for Neymar to adapt to a new surroundings. One of the biggest tests for the 20-year-old will be to adapt to a new situation after having grown extremely comfortable in Brazil. Ramalho has said that it will be an extreme joy to see both Neymar and Lionel Messi play in the same team. Lionel Messi is right now regarded as the best player in the world, while Barcelona have been thought of as the best team in the world.

“It would be amazing to see a Barcelona side with Neymar and Messi. Barcelona is a very similar side to ours. The players like to pass the ball around. I think Neymar would be best suited to Barcelona. Real Madrid plays a different style of football. Neymar is destined for Europe after the World Cup. He must choose the club he goes to wisely. The best option for me is Barca,” said Ramalho. Neymar is expected to cost around £ 35 million, while Santos have already rejected a bid from Chelsea.

Dani Alves has said that Neymar should join Barcelona if he is approached by the Spanish club during the mid season transfer window. Alves had said this in one of his previous interviews as well.

Barcelona has to play against Mallorca on Sunday. Talking to the reporters ahead of that match, Alves said, “If Barcelona shows interest in Neymar in January, I think he should accept the offer. I have said that before, if he opts to join Barcelona, his game would certainly be developed here. His inclusion would also strengthen the Barcelona squad as he is a fine, young talent.”

There have been a few reports that Lionel Messi has talked to Neymar. When asked about that, Alves said, “I don’t know about that. But, I haven’t introduced him to Messi.”

Barcelona suffered a close defeat in its previous match against Celtic. This was the first defeat for Barcelona in the last 13 matches. When asked about that, Alves said, “That was only a bad day for us. You can’t come out victorious in each and every match. That was one of those days when a lot of things went wrong for us. But, there is no need to think too much about that defeat. I am sure the team will come back hard in the next match.”

The Brazilian defender had to miss a few matches in the ongoing season because of thigh injury. He made a comeback last week, but, he didn’t look in the best of forms. When asked about that, Alves said, “It’s true that I have been out of touch in the matches that I have played in this season and I am pretty upset about it. I want to be back in top form soon.”