Real Madrid wanted Neymar for years, claims PSG forward's ex-agent

Neymar's former agent has claimed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would love to see the former Barcelona star pull on a white shirt.

Published : Apr 26, 2020 09:35 IST

PSG star Neymar has for long been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has expressed a long-standing desire to take Neymar to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Brazilian forward's former agent has claimed.

Agent Wagner Ribeiro spoke to ESPN's 'Canal do Nicola' show, where he said the Paris Saint-Germain and former Barcelona star had appealed to the Spanish capital giant for many years.

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According to Ribeiro, he and Perez have spoken several times about Neymar, including in a meeting as recently as last year.

Ribeiro has been involved in deals to take several Brazilian players to Madrid, but Neymar has remained out of reach to the 13-time European champion.

It has been several years since Ribeiro represented 28-year-old Neymar, who has been managed by his father for much of the last decade.

Ribeiro and Neymar were together when Chelsea came after the then Santos forward in 2010, and Ribeiro claimed Bayern Munich and Juventus also showed strong interest before Neymar moved to Camp Nou.

"I went to Madrid several times, because Florentino had the dream of taking Neymar," Ribeiro said. "Last year I was with him, in May, in his office, and he even told me that he still dreams of signing Neymar."

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Neymar could now be bought from PSG for €164 million, according to Ribeiro, who said he rates him more highly than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

"He is much better," Ribeiro said. "I have never seen Neymar play badly. Every game he plays well."