Summary
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly could be tempted to try and complete a 'mad' deal for Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Could Neymar end up completing a move to Chelsea?
ESPN understand that Neymar, who has been hailed as "unstoppable", would be keen to seek a new challenge this summer away from Paris Saint-Germain amid rumours that the £933k-a-week ace could complete a sensational return to Barcelona.
RMC Sport via The Daily Mail report that Chelsea are also believed to hold an interest in Neymar this summer and are said to have held talks with the Brazil international over a move to Stamford Bridge despite his enormous weekly pay packet.
Undoubtedly, the Blues could afford to pay his wage from a financial standpoint; however, co-owner Boehly is exploring the concept of a 'tiered wage' structure in west London, which could reduce the chance of any Premier League move for Neymar occurring this window.
Sky Sports News indicate that Paris Saint-Germain will entertain offers between £50 million and £80 million for Neymar and clubs from the USA, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Europe will all fight it out to try and sign him.
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are keen to build a younger side to challenge for honours both domestically and in Europe and boss Luis Enrique isn't thought to value Neymar as a key component of his plans moving forward.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Jones thinks that Boehly may look at Neymar's situation as the perfect time to pounce, with the recent injury concerns involving Christopher Nkunku potentially being another motivation to try and pull off a blockbuster move.
Jones stated: "The injury to Nkunku is definitely a blow because he’s one of the few sources of goals they have right now.
"I think Carney Chukwuemeka would relish the chance to shine, but we will see whether that chance is actually presented. I am still not too convinced on it, to be honest.
"If Nkunku was just out for a few weeks, I don’t think it would be a big upset, but the fact we might not be seeing him until the new year is a major blow to Chelsea. They’ve barely bought any experienced players recently, and he was one of the few they would have had confidence in performing well in the early weeks.
"It’s a moment like this that makes me think Chelsea might yet do something mad in the transfer market. We know Todd Boehly has a temptation to go for big stars, so it would not surprise me if he decided to do something big and go for Neymar or someone like that, but let's see."
Would Neymar fit Mauricio Pochettino's vision at Chelsea?
Chelsea have signed a lot of young players this window on long-term agreements and any move for Neymar would certainly be billed as a change in tact by Mauricio Pochettino's men, who have adopted a policy of buying into potential rather than bringing in the established elite of the footballing world.
Nevertheless, Neymar is one of the finest players on the planet and would generate major excitement at Stamford Bridge. Last term, the 31-year-old made 29 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain across all competitions, registering 18 goals and 17 assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Providing chances for his teammates with regularity is a speciality of Neymar's game, evidenced in the fact he has churned out around 6.14 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the second percentile compared to his positional peers in Europe's top five divisions, as per FBRef.
WhoScored take into account that Neymar also achieved an average match rating of 7.71/10 in Ligue 1, encompassing the entirety of 2022/23. Truthfully, it is hard to argue that he wouldn't majorly improve Chelsea's attacking output if he was to arrive in west London between now and the close of play in the market.