Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva is confident Neymar will remain at the Parc des Princes beyond this season.
Neymar arrived from Barcelona for a world-record €222million fee but has been heavily linked with a close-season return to LaLiga, with Real Madrid said to be aiming to secure his signature.
The forward is recovering from surgery on a broken metatarsal and it remains to be seen if he will be fit in time to return for the conclusion of PSG’s campaign.
Unai Emery’s side have lost just once in his absence – against Real Madrid in the Champions League – and they extended their winning Ligue 1 run to nine games with a 2-1 victory at Nice on Sunday.
Despite their form without the former Barca and Santos star, Silva hopes Neymar will still be seen in the PSG shirt next term.
“I’m sure [that Neymar will stay],” Silva told Canal+.
“He is well, he has already resumed weight training in Brazil, and I really hope he will stay with us at PSG next season.”
It was another Brazilian – Dani Alves – who sealed the points for PSG against Lucien Favre’s side, the former Juventus full-back heading home his first Ligue 1 goal in the 82nd minute, with Angel Di Maria having cancelled out Allan Saint-Maximin’s effort.
PSG consequently moved 17 points clear of defending champion Monaco at the summit, and Unai Emery lauded their mentality following their Champions League exit.
“It was a tough match. There was individual marking, a lot of aggressiveness from Nice,” Emery said.
“We had the same type of match last year, so this win is very good for us. The team has responded well since the defeat to Madrid. We must continue like this.
“We want to play every match with a good state of mind. This team has an excellent state of mind.
“I’m happy with the way the team responded against Metz, Angers and today. It’s hard to maintain this motivation after the defeat against Real.
“We hope to play the same type of match against Monaco in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. Our goal is to win everything.”
