Real Madrid reportedly rejected chance to sign Neymar

Many Real Madrid fans will remember how the club missed out on the chance to sign Neymar over a decade ago when he joined Barcelona. A lot has happened since then. And it looks like Los Blancos had another opportunity to sign him recently but decided to turn it down. They were not the only ones either.

It looks like Neymar is set to join Al Hilal. That will bring an end to his run in Europe and it is a bit of a what could’ve been story.

Neymar was expected to be the player to take the footballing crown from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He was the chosen one. And yet, he never reached those heights. A combination of injuries and bad decisions prevented him from ever really fulfilling his potential, although he will still go down as one of the most successful and famous footballers in history.

Neymar’s decision to leave Barcelona to join PSG has proven to be a massive mistake in hindsight. And it looks like he is now leaving European football somewhat reluctantly.

Real Madrid reportedly rejected chance to sign Neymar

As reported by the Independent, the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City turned down the chance to sign Neymar. Barcelona were the only ones interested and even they wanted him on loan with an option to buy.

Neymar is still just 31 years of age and could have easily continued to perform at a high level in Europe. But a combination of a massive salary package and transfer fee required to sign him from PSG meant that not many clubs were capable or interested, despite his undeniable quality.

As for Real Madrid, signing Neymar at this stage of his career would not make much sense. The Brazilian has a history of injuries and never played more than 22 league matches for PSG in a season. Also, Los Blancos already have Vinicius Jr.