Neymar was close to a transfer to Napoli, but the club officials decided to abandon the idea to maintain the balance of the team.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Neymar was the subject of intense discussions at Napoli, where president De Laurentiis and the technical staff analyzed bringing him into the team. The idea was discussed from January until May, but it was abandoned to avoid balance issues within the group. Neymar, who returned to Santos after his contract with Al-Hilal was terminated, suffered an injury and will not play until November, and Napoli opted for Kevin De Bruyne as their new acquisition.