Neymar Jr linked with surprise move to join former teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami – Reports
Al-Hilal forward Neymar Jr is reportedly linked with a move to join former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. Neymar joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in 2023.
The Brazilian had only played five games for the club prior to his return last week as he has been on the sidelines due to injury. He returned to action for the Blue Waves on October 21 as a substitute in the second half of the AFC Champions League against Al Ain as they won 5-4.
Before Neymar moved to the Middle East, he shared the locker room with Lionel Messi at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. They both won multiple trophies together during their time in Europe.
According to Saudi Arabian journalist Tariq Al-Nawfal, Inter Miami have submitted an official proposal to Al-Hilal to sign Neymar in the upcoming transfer window. While the Brazil international has returned to action, his chances of staying in the Saudi Pro League beyond the summer transfer window are now looking farfetched.
The forward's contract with Al-Hilal will expire in June 2025. With his injury problems, it is unlikely that the club will want to extend his contract when it expires. Apart from that, Al-Hilal were reportedly considering replacing him with Vinicius Jr before he returned from injury.
The Brazil international could also be prompted to join Lionel Messi at the Major League Soccer (MLS) if the opportunity arises. His former teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have already reunited with the Argentine at Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi names Neymar Jr as one of the best 10 players he has played with
In 2023, Lionel Messi included Neymar Jr while naming the best players he has shared the pitch with. The Al-Hilal man is one of the few players that Messi has played together with in more than one club. The pair shared the locker room at Barcelona and PSG. He could potentially become the first player to play with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in three different clubs.
Naming his 10 favorite teammates in 2023, Lionel Messi said (via SPORTbible):
"I was lucky to play for a long time at Barcelona... with many of the best players." Like Ronaldinho, Deco, [Samuel] Eto'o, [Luis] Suarez, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Sergio] Busquets, I was lucky enough to play with the best players and enjoy the game with them. Speaking of which, I almost forgot about Neymar because there are so many people.”
He added:
"There must be many players I forgot to mention. I've been lucky enough to play with the best players, with the best strikers. Like Neymar, [Samuel] Eto'o, [Luis] Suarez, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [David] Villa, and many more. I've been comfortable playing with all of them, or almost all of them, because I've been lucky enough to play with the best of them... Playing with them is easy.”
Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr played 206 times during their time together at Barcelona and PSG and had a joint goal participation of 67.