Neymar bids PSG goodbye as Dembele inherits his jersey number

 

After the exit of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, new signing Ousmane Dembele inherited his jersey number.

Before he departed from the Paris club, the Brazilian superstar wore the number ten jersey.

As PSG confirmed his departure to PIF-funded Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal this week, Dembele, who arrived from Barcelona last week, will now wear the number ten jersey for Les Parisien.

Les Parisiens have been able to recoup some of the record-breaking €222m they paid six years ago, and it was reported that Al-Hilal’s outlay for Neymar is close to the €100m mark.

As a form of respect to the club, the former Barcelona forward turned up at PSG’s brand-new Poissy training center on Thursday to say goodbyes to his now-former teammates.

This will be the second time the French winger inherits Neymar’s jersey number.

Dembélé had at Barcelona picked up the Brazilian’s old shirt, number 11. When Neymar left Barcelona for PSG  in 2017, Dembele inherited his number 11 jersey, having just joined from Dortmund in a €135m move. 

The former Stade Rennais youth product is expected to make his PSG debut on Saturday night at Toulouse.

He will be looking forward to making an impact for the club in his first competitive outing with Les Parisiens.

Meanwhile, PSG have reignited their interest in OGC Nice midfielder Khéphren Thuram.

According to a report from Sports Zone, PSG are planning to sign the 26-year-old as a replacement for veteran midfielder Marco Varratti who could depart the club this summer for Saudi.

RMC Sport reported last week that the Italian international was informed that he was deemed surplus to requirements at PSG.

Since he is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, he could link up with Neymar, who has just made a move to the Gulf State.

Written by Oladipupo Mojeed