‘French football needs Neymar’

LONDON: French football “needs” Neymar, according to the country’s federation president Noel Le Graet, who said the Brazilian star “must stay” at Paris Saint-Germain.

“We need this image, he’s a fantastic footballer,” Le Graet told AFP Wednesday.“He’s on a five-year contract. He must stay. PSG shows that it can attract the big stars.”Neymar became the world’s most expensive footballer after his transfer to PSG last August from Barcelona for a whopping fee of 222 million euros ($264 million).

He won the French player of the year prize this season despite a foot injury meaning he has not featured for the Parisian club since the end of February.There has been constant speculation that the 26-year-old’s stay in the French capital could be a short one, with Real Madrid linked to a move for the Brazilian.

PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi has insisted, however, that he was “2,000 percent” sure Neymar would play at PSG next season, something the player himself has yet to confirm.