No MSN Reunion at Inter Miami Just Yet: Reports Indicate Al Hilal Plan on Cutting Koulibaly to Make Room for Neymar Jr. When the Transfer Portal Opens
Neymar Jr., currently recovering from an injury, has been linked to a move to Inter Miami but may remain at Al Hilal until the end of the season. However, reports suggest that Neymar could stay at the Saudi Pro League side until the end of the season, with the SPL champions prepared to axe Kalidou Koulibaly from the squad to make room for registering Neymar.
With the Saudi Pro League restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed on a club’s books, and Al Hilal having hit the limit, registering Neymar would require the club to release a player in January or remove them from the list of registered sportsmen. Koulibaly looks set to be dropped and potentially miss out on competitive football for the second half of the season should he stay at Al Hilal.
Neymar recently purchased real estate in Miami, which sparked speculations about whether the Brazilian was keen on a move to Inter Miami. This is where his former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi ply their trade. The trio formed a deadly forward line at Barcelona called MSN, and a reunion would appeal to the parties involved.
Neymar has had a disastrous spell at Al Hilal, having only played a handful of competitive games before a knee injury placed him on the sidelines. However, Al Hilal are still hopeful that a player once compared to Messi and Cristiano, and is the Brazilian national team’s all-time top scorer, will come good for them.
With a well-rounded team, Al Hilal may not feel the impact of losing Koulibaly, given that they would be replacing him with Neymar. A superstar in his own right, he’s bound to bring more attention to Al Hilal games. Whether it pays off remains to be seen. However, since Neymar has a few months left on his contract, it would be ideal if he could contribute to the team instead of having to pay off the remaining months of his very lucrative agreement.
