Thomas Tuchel persuades Neymar to snub Real Madrid | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has persuaded Neymar to turn down a summer move to Real Madrid and stay at Paris Saint-Germain.

At least, that’s according to Spanish outlet AS, who claim the new PSG boss’s first order of business following his unveiling earlier this week was to sort out the future of the club’s star player.

Neymar moved to the Parc des Princes from Barcelona in a sensational world record €222m transfer last summer but the Brazilian’s first season in France proved rather tumultuous as he reportedly clashed with former coach Unai Emery and his team-mates, and was left bitterly disappointed by the club’s early elimination from the Champions League.

But Tuchel, along with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, are understood to have given the 26-year-old and his father assurances about the direction in which the club is going, and he has been convinced to stay beyond this summer.

Real Madrid have been informed of the situation and are said to have dropped their interest.

Speaking at his his first press conference in charge of Les Parisiens, former Borussia Dortmund coach Tuchel confirmed he had met Neymar and expressed a desire to build a team around the playmaker.

“I met him last Sunday,” he said.

“It was a good meeting. He is an artist, an exceptional player, one of the best players in the world. He does not need special treatment, he must find a structure where he can express himself.

“I really liked the meeting we had. We will build a structure for him to express himself here.”