Neymar: PSG ask Real Madrid for Vinicius as part of deal
Parc des Princes sporting director Leonardo is a fan of the player and sees him as the antithesis to Neymar off the pitch but the Bernabéu board have refused.
The three-way negotiation for PSG forward is no closer to a resolution after the Ligue 1 champions turned down Barcelona’s opening offer for their former player and now it is Real Madrid’s turn to reject a proposal from Paris for the Brazilian after Parc des Princes sporting director Leonardo requested Vinicius Junior be included in any deal.
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Leonardo is a fan of Vinicius as a player and sees the youngster as the “anti-Neymar” in terms of his conduct and professionalism and sources close to the PSG boardroom have confirmed to AS that the Parisians have offered the 27-year-old to Madrid but asked for his younger compatriot to be sent the other way, a request that the Bernabéu instantly rejected.
Real Madrid will not include Vinicius in any Neymar talks
According to those sources, PSG have made Vinicius a key part of any deal to send Neymar to the Spanish capital but have been met with a brick wall in the form of Florentino Pérez, who will not countenance letting the 18-year-old - who has become a fan favourite and is highly regarded by Zinedine Zidane - leave the club.
Another stumbling block for PSG is that Vinicius has always described Neymar as his idol, both having come through the Flamengo academy system, and has expressed his desire to one day play alongside him.
PSG are open to the idea of a players pus cash deal for Neymar, but so far neither Real Madrid nor Barça have offered any squad members of interest to the Ligue 1 side. Real are keen to offload Gareth Bale and James Rodríguez, while Barça are believed to have offered Philippe Coutinho as a makeweight. PSG though would prefer a deal involving Nelson Semedo, Ivan Rakitic and Ousmane Dembélé.