da realbet： The Blues have been linked with the Brazilian superstar since Todd Boehly's takeover last year, but pursuing a transfer could prove disastrous

da esport bet： There is no doubting the quality that Neymar possesses; on his day, when fully fit, he is among the very best attacking players on the planet – just as was expected to be the case when those grainy videos of him running rings around his opponents for Santos emerged way back when.

His time at Paris Saint-Germain, though, is seemingly drawing to a close amid an ugly breakdown in his relationship with the fans and a changing of the guard at the Parc des Princes, and Chelsea have been consistently linked with a move for the Brazilian over the past year as the Blues' owners supposedly seek a marquee signing.

It's a rumour that won't go away, but it's a transfer that Chelsea must steer clear of as a new era gets underway at Stamford Bridge.

Getty ImagesLingering interest

Neymar has been touted as a potential marquee signing for Chelsea's owners ever since their Clearlake Capital-backed takeover last year, with rumours coming in peaks and troughs. However, 12 months on they haven't gone away, and now claims there is a lingering hope at PSG that the Blues' fire sale of expendable players to Saudi Arabia means they could yet fund a deal.

French media reported earlier in June that Chelsea had opened talks over the player, although any whispers that things are at that advanced stage have since fallen silent. There is no smoke without fire, though, and the Blues' new-look hierarchy has already shown its ruthlessness in the transfer window.

AdvertisementGettyA terrible injury record

There is a litany of reasons why Chelsea should swerve a move for the Neymar, and chief among them is his injury record. The 31-year-old has missed more than half the games he could have played during his time at PSG overall, and his 2022-23 campaign ended in February when he suffered ankle ligament damage and was forced to undergo surgery.

Many of the countless fitness issues he has faced have been no fault of his own as he has been targeted by some agricultural defending in Ligue 1, but there is no reason to believe that would be any different in the Premier League. His body has taken a battering, and that surely must have taken its toll.

GettyAn anti-FFP transfer

Pursuing Neymar would be counterproductive to Chelsea's entire transfer strategy this summer as they look to trim a bloated squad and a soaring wage bill. The club finds itself in dire need of selling players after posting significant losses in the two previous seasons and splurging an eye-watering £600m ($763m) on new players in 2022-23. That leaves them in grave danger of failing to stay within the Premier League's three-year limit on losses of £105m ($133.6m) or more, and the Blues have already been added to UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) watchlist.

Signing Neymar in the upcoming window, then, would be utterly baffling; the Brazilian earns an eye-watering €700,000 per week (£602,000/$768,000) in the French capital, and with two years remaining on his contract, PSG are still said to value him at around £70m ($89m). It's a deal that would distort the Blues' wage structure and add a huge bulk to their losses.

Getty ImagesNo space in the squad

Away from the finances, one very simple argument against signing Neymar is that Chelsea do not have space in their squad for another attacking player who isn't a striker. Despite Kai Havertz leaving for Arsenal and both Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being set to follow him through the exit door, the Blues are still well stocked in the wide areas and have already added Christopher Nkunku as a potential No.10.

Villarreal's Nicolas Jackson is another forward who is expected to be added, joining the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke. Christian Pulisic's probable departure does raise the question of whether more depth is required, but a 31-year-old Neymar does not seem like the right fit for that role – especially given the club's recent strategy of signing players aged 25 or under.