Chelsea FC, currently 10th in the Premier League table, has not been shy at all in using their financial might to bolster the squad. In the January transfer window alone, Chelsea spent £323 million ($388.4 million) as they added Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Benoit Badashile on permanent deals, along with Joao Felix on a loan spell, to Graham Potter's increasingly loaded squad.
Bankrolled by billionaire chairman Todd Boehly, there's no reason to expect the Blues' spending to taper off anytime soon. Per ESPN, Boehly reportedly met with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al Khelaifi to explore a potential transfer for Neymar, one of the best attacking players in world football today.
Since arriving in PSG in 2017, Neymar has been linked to an exit a few times. Most notably, Neymar almost secured a return to FC Barcelona in 2019, but the two parties could not arrive at a deal that made sense for both parties. In 2023, the 31-year old Brazilian attacker remains in Paris, and he appears to be falling out of favor with the top brass at PSG.
Alas, Neymar's contract with PSG runs until 2027, which complicates any potential transfer. Not too many clubs could afford to fit his €30 million ($36 million) annual salary into their budgets as well. Chelsea, however, is one of those rare clubs that won't have any troubles affording his wages.
PSG and Neymar's camp reportedly offered Todd Boehly an opportunity back in the 2022 summer transfer window to stage a coup for the 31-year old winger, but Chelsea decided to look another way. The Blues decided to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City to fill their void on the wing instead.
Chelsea's transfer strategy, should they pursue Neymar, should boggle the neutral observer. In addition to splurging on Mykhailo Mudryk to upstage Arsenal in the transfer pursuit, the Blues also recently signed young winger Noni Madueke from PSV.
Simply put, Graham Potter already has a plethora of options at his disposal on the wing. Aside from Mudryk and Madueke, Chelsea already has Sterling, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic as wingers who would need and demand game time. Even Mason Mount could put in a shift on the wing. Thus, fitting Neymar in would require a few of those wingers to give way.
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