Rumours coming out of Paris are that club officials at Paris Saint-Germain are extremely concerned about the situation of their star player Neymar. These issues are based on his current injury situation and the treatment of a section of the club's supporters towards the Brazilian international.
According to French news outlet Le Parisien, his current physical condition is a worry as he is suffering from a strain to his right thigh which is seemingly taking time to properly heal, although it is not stopping him from playing the club are treating him with due care and attention.
In addition, the continued whistles that he seems to receive during home games is having a negative effect and impacting on his morale. The shrills first arose when the record-signing refused teammate Edinson Cavani the opportunity to make history by not allowing him to take a penalty against Olympique Lyon.
If Cavani had scored, that would have made the Uruguayan international Les Rouge-et-Bleu all-time top scorer, an action which the home fans have not forgiven Neymar for.
Club officials are worried that the player is not settling and fully embracing the club and the city as they had first hoped. From the beginning PSG officials, who paid a world record €222m last summer to prise Neymar away from Barçelona, have worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition to his new surroundings, both at the club and adapting to life in Paris.
Most chances created per 90 in Europe's top 5 leagues this season for players with over 10 appearances:
Dimiti Payet (4.2)
Cesc fabregas (4.1)
Mesut Ozil (3.8)
Neymar (3.7)10/10 vision. pic.twitter.com/DmMQUJtY4c
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After overcoming 'penalty gate' back in September and calming the tensions between the two players, those in charge at PSG have not enjoyed witnessing the club's fans turn against their superstar signing during home games at the Parc des Princes.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian striker has been strongly supported by head coach Unai Emery and by former player Emmanuel Petit. Emery spoke to the press on Tuesday and said: "The whistles? They were in the context of that moment. The fans love all the players and they're smart. I'm sure that if he's on the pitch tomorrow, he'll have their support."
Former Arsenal and French international Petit made his position even clearer on the issue: "Was it really worth turning on Neymar after the show he gave us? I don't think so.
"If he gets frozen out from the stands, the fans could be shooting themselves in the foot if the next day Neymar asks to leave. Then we'd all cry."
(You may also be interested in Neymar responds to Real Madrid £200m summer transfer speculation)
One person that will monitoring the situation closely will be Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. Eager to re-establish Los Blancos as a dominant force, he is a keen admirer of the talented Brazilian and a lack of a release clause in Neymar's contract would make negotiations even more interesting if they were ever to commence.
- 90Min