Real Madrid said to include Jovic to PSG in Neymar package
After denying L'Équipe's offer scenario, it would appear that Los Blancos have a different idea of how to prise the Brazilian away from Paris.
Real Madrid have made a concerted effort over recent weeks to bring in wantaway forward Neymar, but his current club PSG are holding firm. French news outlet L'Équipe reported that the Parisian giants rejected an offer from Los Blancos of 100 million euros plus three players: Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Keylor Navas for the Brazilian. This stance comes on the back of knockbacks to both Barcelona and Juventus, although Spanish reporter Guillem Balagué has since provided an update on the situation.
Jovic, Navas and another for Neymar
As the news from the French paper was gathering pace, Balagué issued a thread of tweets outlining the position of Los Blancos as he understood it. First, he said, the offer stated by L'Équipe had been denied by a source at the club. An important element of that appears to be that there was no way that Bale, despite being unhappy, was going to be leaving Madrid this summer.
On Neymar. The offer mentioned by @lequipe is denied by sources from Madrid (€100m plus James, Bale and Navas). For starters Gareth Bale is not moving (Gareth is still upset by the treatment of club, but is willing to show his quality in Madrid) pic.twitter.com/q8XSOi58ys
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 22, 2019
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Instead, Balagué continued, along with Keylor Navas who had been mentioned - and who Thomas Tüchel is keen to bring in as first choice goalkeeper - Madrid have lined up new signing Luka Jovic and another unnamed player to be used as makeweights for the complicated operation. There would also be a cash amount sent to the Ligue 1 champions.
The offer from Real Madrid, when it arrives, will include money, Keylor Navas, another player and Luka Jovic!!
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 22, 2019
This saga has had more twists, turns and contradictions than a campaigner arguing for Brexit, so until the ink is dry on a new contract all bets are off.