Neymar’s absence from PSG’s first game of the season against Nîmes on Sunday was initially attributed to an injury. Speaking on Saturday, Thomas Tuchel said he was reluctant to risk his star player given that he had only just returned to training after missing the Copa América this summer. However, the full truth emerged later, when PSG sporting director Leonardo admitted there was more to the story than the player’s fitness. “Honestly, it’s not only his physical state,” said Leonardo resignedly. “We’ve had a discussion and, where things weren’t clear before, they’re more advanced now – even though I wouldn’t say there’s an agreement.”

Tuchel says he wants to keep the player. “I love Neymar. I want to continue playing with him, but the reality is that we have to find solutions without Ney. If we lose Neymar, maybe I will not sleep. It’s not possible to lose Ney and find a guy who does the same things as him. I’m trying to convince him to stay but, on the other hand, it’s a personal choice. It’s between him and the club.”

Even though PSG ran out fairly convincing 3-0 winners against Nîmes – with Kylian Mbappé, Edinson Cavani and Ángel Di María all scoring – Tuchel said his team missed Neymar’s creativity and ability to “find solutions that only he can find”. Although, he was also honest enough to admit that not every fan at the Parc de Princes saw it that way. During the game some supporters chanted “Neymar, you son of a bitch” and unveiled a banner telling the player to “go away”.

“It’s tricky,” said Tuchel. “I don’t know what to say. I saw it on my colleagues’ smartphones because I did not hear them during the match. Can I understand it? Yes and no. He’s still our player, my player and I protect all my players. He’s in my dressing room. I can understand that not everyone has liked what he has said and done.”

PSG fans hold up a banner at the Parc de Princes telling Neymar to “go away”. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/EPA

The Brazilian was linked with a return to Barcelona throughout the summer – in a variety of intriguing partial swap deals – and now Real Madrid appear to have joined the race for his signature, rekindling an interest in the player that predates his arrival to the Camp Nou. Zinedine Zidane’s squad has no shortage of deadwood; Gareth Bale, Isco, and one of Keylor Navas or Thibaut Courtois have been put forward as tantalising makeweights. Despite already spending heavily this summer, Real are eager to return to the summit of the world game and Neymar would fit their once-heralded galácticos policy perfectly.

Do PSG need to keep Neymar to progress, at least on the pitch? Winning Ligue 1, of course, will be no object. They secured the title at a canter last season even though Neymar missed a large portion of the campaign. In Julian Draxler, Di María and the newly arrived Pablo Sarabia, the champions have more than enough creative drive to rumble past most opponents in France, even if they did fail to win either domestic cup last season.

Do they need him in the Champions League? In his two seasons at the club, Neymar has played 13 games in the competition, scoring scored 11 goals and providing five assists, so surely his absence would be felt on the biggest stage? Well, he has only featured in one knockout match for the club (a 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid) and he was anonymous in their big group stage matches away to Liverpool and Bayern Munich. The idea that his presence could have turned PSG’s last two Champions League campaigns is a lovely thought, but the club have been knocked out of the Champions League sooner with Neymar than without him. With so much money invested in his transfer fee and wages, the squad has been left lacking in depth and balance.

How about Neymar’s influence among his teammates? Is he a leader by example, on the pitch or behind the scenes, setting an example for his fellow professionals? The answer there, again, is decidedly negative, as his opulent parties and frequent trips home demonstrate.

Who, then stands to lose from his departure? The answer may be a very nervous LFP. France’s professional football body is riding high on a wave of goodwill at the moment, a tide that had its genesis in France winning the World Cup and has continued as former Ligue 1 players have continued to have an outsized influence on the rest of European football. This goodwill has helped generate a lucrative new TV contract. Money is seemingly coursing through the league’s coffers. They staged an ambitious pre-season tournament in the US and many clubs were surprisingly aggressive in the summer window – even Amiens, Metz and Toulouse spent more than the brought in on transfers.

What does Neymar have to do with this? Marketability. He has made the league (or at least PSG’s matches) compulsory viewing for many. Kylian Mbappé may have surpassed him as the league’s iconic player after the World Cup last year, but Neymar is still a massive star, particularly in Brazil. His potential departure (coupled with Mbappé’s rumoured exit next summer) could leave the LFP scrambling for another face upon which to pin their hopes, no easy task at the moment.

Neymar’s tricks, dribbles and goals are appreciated on the pitch, but his off-field impact is perhaps even bigger for the league’s officials. Their product, tenuous in its status as a “big five” league as a result of the reformatted Champions League, could regress back to the mean. It is a far cry from the optimism, financial and otherwise, that swirled around France following takeovers at Marseille and Monaco in recent years.

Ligue 1 talking points

Victor Osimhen celebrates after scoring for Lille in their 2-1 win over Nantes at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

• It was quite the weekend for debutant attackers across Ligue 1. Toulouse’s Efthymis Koulouris, Amiens’ Chadrac Akolo, and Angers’ Mathias Pereira Lage all found the net, but none of them had quite the impact of Victor Osimhen, the young Nigerian forward who was making his debut for Lille. The former Charleroi striker scored both goals for Lille as they beat Nantes 2-1, a victory that will come as a relief for their supporters following the mass exodus at the club this summer.

• André Villas-Boas looks to be following in the footsteps of Rudi Garcia at Marseille, who only had two shots on target in their 2-0 defeat to Reims at the Vélodrome. Florian Thauvin was a big miss on the right flank, but the rest of the side looked as poor as they did at any point last season. Young defenders Duje Ćaleta-Car and Boubacar Kamara were particularly at sea although the veterans in the team were not much better. Marseille will need more than just a big season from new striker Darío Benedetto to succeed this season.

• Lyon top the table for the moment, though only by dint of alphabetisation. They deserve to be there on merit too, though; the red card shown to Cesc Fàbregas half an hour into their 3-0 win at Monaco no doubt helped, but their performance was impressive nonetheless. Moussa Dembélé scored a thumping header and was a menace throughout; while Lucas Tousart, playing at the base of midfield, was the ideal sentinel and added an impressive goal to boot. There will be sterner tests to come for new manager Sylvinho but, as debuts go, the former Barcelona man appears well suited to Ligue 1.

Cesc Fàbregas was sent off for Monaco as they were beaten by Lyon on Friday night. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Ligue 1 results

Monaco 0-3 Lyon

Marseille 0-2 Reims

Angers 3-1 Bordeaux

Brest 1-1 Toulouse

Dijon 1-2 St Étienne

Montpellier 0-1 Rennes

Nice 2-1 Amiens

Lille 2-1 Nantes

Strasbourg 1-1 Metz

PSG 3-0 Nîmes

• This is an article from Get French Football News

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