PASTORE OFFERS NEYMAR NO.10 SHIRT AT PSG AS €222M DEAL EDGES CLOSER
Javier Pastore is willing to give up the No.10 shirt at Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar as a welcoming gift if a record-breaking move is made.
The Brazil international is closing in on a €222 million switch to the French capital from Barcelona after telling the club he wants to leave and bidding farewell to his team-mates.
Neymar, 25, currently wears 11 at Camp Nou, but is the undisputed 10 for his country.
That jersey will be waiting for him at PSG if he wishes to take it, with Pastore prepared to step aside and do all he can to help a big-money acquisition to settle and feel comfortable in new surroundings.
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The Argentine playmaker told Cadena Ser: "I want to offer my shirt to Neymar as a welcome act. I want him to feel comfortable and happy from day one.
"I want to give him all the support he needs so we can win the Champions League together.
“It's a small detail, but for me it was very important to have it and now I want to welcome him with that little symbol.”
Pastore joined PSG from Palermo in 2011, as one of the first high-profile arrivals of the Qatar era at Parc des Princes.
He has endured his fair share of fitness issues during his time in France, while seeing further additions provided added competition for places.
Neymar will be another blocking his path, but PSG harbour ambitions of challenging for major honours at home and abroad and continuous improvement has to be accepted by all concerned.
Should the Samba star join Unai Emery’s ranks, he will form part of a star-studded squad which includes many fellow countrymen – including Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Marquinhos and Lucas Moura.