Cristiano Ronaldo tells Neymar not to join PSG – and wait for Manchester United if he really wants to quit Barcelona
Real Madrid ace Ronaldo is said to have told his Barca rival a move to PSG would be a step backwards in his career
CRISTIANO RONALDO has told Neymar not to quit Barcelona for a world record move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Ronaldo is said to have contacted his Barcelona rival to tell him he would be making a big mistake if he decided to move to France.
And the Real Madrid ace is then claimed to have urged the Brazilian to secure a move to Manchester United if he was really desperate to quit the Nou Camp.
Real Madrid ace Ronaldo and Neymar are close friends away from their playing rivalry, having developed a relationship on the back of both being sponsored by Nike.
And Spanish title have reported the two superstars have been in close contact discussing Neymar's proposed £195million move to PSG.
They claim Ronaldo has sent a series of WhatsApp messages warning the 25-year-old against swapping La Liga for Ligue 1.
PSG have promised to pay the forward £500,000-a-week to move to Paris - with the club planning to use his signing to market themselves around the world.
But it is claimed Ronaldo has told Neymar he would be taking a backward step by moving to a lesser league and a smaller club.
The world footballer of the year believes only Real and former club United rank as highly as Barca in global status.
And he told Neymar that if he really is desperate to leave the Nou Camp then he should seek a move to Old Trafford because they would be able to elevate his image worldwide.
Neymar is currently in America with Barcelona on their pre-season tour, and scored both goals as the Spanish team beat Juventus 2-1 last night in New York.
The attacker held a meeting with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Friday where it is claimed he informed the club he wanted to leave.
Bartomeu is reported to have pleaded with the player to allow him more time to resolve the situation.
Barca officials are still desperate to convince the Brazilian to stay at the club, and after Saturday night's game Neymar's father boarded the team coach with board members to begin further talks at the club's hotel.
PSG have remained tight-lipped over the transfer, but are understood to be growing in confidence that they will complete the stunning transfer.
And though Ronaldo has told his friend to push for a move to United instead, the Premier League club may already have decided to move on from trying to sign him.
United have made several attempts to sign Neymar in the past couple of years, with little success.
And though the interest remains, piecing together such a complicated and expensive deal at this stage in their pre-season preparations would be difficult.