Real Madrid News: Florentino Perez wants Neymar to fill marketing gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidane disagrees
What's the story?
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly believes Neymar Jr is the man to fill the marketing and media gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo, but club manager Zinedine Zidane does not agree.
According to Zidane, star winger and new recruit Eden Hazard can take over the mantle of being the poster boy at Madrid.
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Following months of heavy speculation over Neymar's return to Barcelona, Blaugrana's eternal rivals, Real Madrid, have shown their desire to hijack the signing especially after the Catalan titans stalled their interest in the forward.
The Blancos' interest in the Paris Saint-Germain superstar dates back to 2011 when they tried to get him to switch allegiances when he was at Barcelona.
The Brazil international eventually secured a world record transfer to PSG in 2017 but has since been linked with an exit as he continues to be discontent with life at the Parc des Princes.
Neymar looks keen on a departure this summer, having snubbed the first day of pre-season training with the Ligue 1 giants and provoked the club's anger with a series of controversial comments.
Real Madrid are currently looking at the 27-year-old as the perfect player to cap off their summer buying spree which includes the likes of Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy, and Luka Jovic.
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The heart of the matter
According to Sport English, the idea of bringing Neymar to the Bernabeu has put a wedge between Perez and Zidane, who have contrasting opinions on who could replace the gap filled by Ronaldo.
Perez believes Neymar will not only deliver on the field but also in the marketing front, an area that has been adversely affected since Ronaldo's departure.
Meanwhile, Zidane believes Hazard is the man to lead the new project and has told Perez that there is no place for the Brazilian in the squad.
The French manager is also reportedly obsessed with signing Paul Pogba from Manchester United, a player that the president does not want at the club.
What's next?
Perez believes Barcelona's strained relationship with PSG could help Real Madrid to swoop in for Neymar. In comparison, Los Blancos could also offer a better deal for the forward at the moment but it remains to be seen if they could convince a player, whose eyes remain on his former side, to switch allegiances.