Neymar’s move to Major League Soccer could be picking up steam as the Al Hilal forward is in talks with three MLS teams, including the Chicago Fire, according to ESPN. The 32-year-old Brazilian has not played much for Al Hilal due to injuries to his knee and hamstring, but given his pedigree and name recognition, many teams would be interested in his services if he became available.
The most obvious match would be Inter Miami, where Neymar has spoken about wanting to reunite with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and Suarez has also spoken about how he would like to play with Neymar again. The trio set the football world on fire when they were together in Barcelona about a decade ago, but Inter Miami’s manager Javier Mascherano downplayed the possibility during MLS media day.
“We can’t talk about Ney because we don’t have anything about him,” Mascherano said. “Obviously Ney is a great player. Everyone or every coach in the world wants him, but right now you know the rules, the MLS rules about the salary cap. So for us right now it’s impossible…”
The important words there are: ‘at this moment’. MLS has since done just that a new mechanism revealed that teams can use to raise money for domestic transfers, there is nothing stopping Inter Miami from freeing up salaries to pursue players if they wish. Chicago has been busy pre-season under Gregg Berhalter, but the club currently only has one designated player, so they could easily add a player they could convince to join their project.
Of course, convincing Neymar and finding a suitable solution with Al Hilal is not an easy task and that is what any team would have to do to add him. Then there is also a balance between those expenses and his injury history. Neymar has made just seven appearances for Al Hilal since joining the club in 2023, recording one goal and two assists. Still not healthy due to his current hamstring injury, the start of his tenure at any club would be a rehabilitation period.
While Neymar would certainly be looking to secure a spot with Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, getting back to his best will be crucial for any club. It seems likely that that spot will be in Major League Soccer, where the transfer window opens on January 31.