PARIS/RIO DE JANEIRO: André Jardine, Brazil’s Olympic coach, has confirmed that Neymar wants to play for the 2016 gold medallists at the Tokyo Games, which will begin on July 23.
His Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé is on a French pre-list for the Olympics.
Jarine said: “Within the idea of having the strongest team for the Olympic Games, having a player like Neymar is in line with that maxim and with the goal that we have set for ourselves – and he wants to.”
The coach indicated that having Neymar at the Olympic event would be “a dream”, but acknowledged that his presence in the U23 team is a “sensitive issue” that “is being dealt with directly” by the president of the Brazilian confederation Rogério Caboclo. “I believe that in a short time we will have the answer.”
Neymar converted the final-winning penalty in the decisive shootout against Germany in Maracana five years ago. It was the first time Brazil had ever won Olympic football gold.