Neymar responds to being told 'Arsenal need you' at wild Wardley vs Clarke fight

Neymar has hinted he would consider a move to Arsenal after being urged to join the Gunners at a boxing match.

The 32-year-old, who currently plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, was in attendance for the fight between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday.

In the VIP section of the crowd, he was sat next to boxing promoter Frank Warren, who was born in the London borough of Islington and is a passionate Arsenal fan.

In a hilarious video short clip, the Queensberry Promotions supremo, 72, made it clear that he wanted Neymar to sign for Mikel Arteta’s side, telling the forward he was needed by the north London club.

“This is the man! He’s coming to England to play for Arsenal! Warren said, prompting laughter from Neymar.

The global football star nodded his head and replied: “Yeah!”, as Warren continued to press him for answers, asking: “When are you coming to Arsenal? We need you!”

Still chuckling, Neymar responded: “You need me? I’m back, I’m back, I’m back!” before giving Warren a warm embrace.

While Neymar’s comments may be open to interpretation, he appeared to indicate a move to England would appeal before his career winds down.

The Brazilian star is contracted to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal after joining the Pro League outfit in 2023 in a £75.3million deal (€90m) from PSG.

But his time in the Gulf nation has been blighted by a serious knee injury, limiting the former Barcelona superstar to just five appearances and one goal despite earning a cool £130m a year.

The closest Neymar has come to moving to the UK came when he was a teenager at Santos in 2010. The 18-year-old wonderkid nearly joined Chelsea in a £25m deal after the two clubs agreed a fee, before he performed a late U-turn following an intervention from Brazil great Pele.

He went on to join Barcelona three years later in a £90m transfer where he rose to stardom playing alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

But after becoming frustrated with life in Spain, he signed for PSG in a world-record £186m (€222m) deal in 2017, becoming the most expensive player in history.

He arrived in Paris with ambitions of winning the Ballon d’Or, only to find himself competing with Kylian Mbappe for the crown of the Parisian prince.

Despite his best efforts, PSG failed to win the Champions League and Neymar departed with a bitter taste in his mouth after falling out with the French club’s hierarchy.

While Arsenal would no doubt welcome a player of his ability and pedigree, Arteta already has Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling available. But if they are interested in arranging a deal, Neymar may well be open to the idea.