Chelsea: 'Boehly and Eghbali met' agents of £200m star linked to Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali 'met' Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar's representatives at the World Cup amid links to Stamford Bridge, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.

The Brazilian became the most expensive signing in history when he completed a £200million switch from Barcelona to the Parc des Princes, but a move away now appears to be on the cards.

Chelsea transfer news - Neymar

According to French media outlet Le Parisien, Boehly headed overseas earlier this week and held discussions with PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi over the possibility of landing Neymar.

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The report suggests the Chelsea co-owner was keen to learn the conditions which would need to be met in order to lure the winger to west London.

It is understood that Boehly was tempted to strike a deal last summer, when PSG were desperate to offload Neymar, but a move failed to materialise.

The South American has entered the final two-and-a-half years of his contract in the French capital, which is worth more than £950,000-per-week.

Chelsea were linked with Neymar during the early days of Boehly's reign, but transfer insider Dean Jones told GiveMeSport that a switch to Stamford Bridge was unlikely at that stage.

What has Simon Phillips said about Neymar?

Phillips understands that Boehly and Eghbali held conversations with Neymar's representatives during the 2022 World Cup.

The journalist believes the Chelsea co-owners were keen to open talks in Qatar as they looked to build relationships.

Phillips told GiveMeSport: "I know Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali met with Neymar's people at the World Cup.

"But I'm not sure if there was anything in that other than just creating relations with top contacts."

Would Neymar be an exciting signing for Chelsea?

There is no doubt that Neymar is a serious threat in the final third of the pitch as, according to Transfermarkt, he has got his name on the scoresheet 292 times and added a further 187 assists over the course of his senior club career.

Despite now being 31, there has been no sign of his productivity waning as he has racked up 33 goal contributions in 28 appearances this season.

Lionel Messi is the only PSG teammate to have bettered the 7.68 average match rating handed to Neymar by WhoScored for his performances since the Ligue 1 campaign got underway, emphasising his talent.

Goals are something Chelsea have been craving, with them currently being the lowest scorers in the Premier League's top 10 by a considerable distance, and the 124-cap Brazil international could be the perfect option for additional firepower.

Sofascore data shows Neymar has been finding the back of the net every 125 minutes in the French top flight this season, while he has also created 13 big chances along the way, so Boehly, Eghbali and head coach Graham Potter should do all they can to make the move possible.