Paris Saint-Germain need one of the five best players in the world if they are to realise their goals, coach Unai Emery has said, amid reports linking them with a world-record move for Barcelona's Neymar.
Rumours linking Neymar with PSG have intensified in recent days and a source close to the French side has told ESPN FC that serious talks are due to begin soon.
"If PSG want to rival Bayern [Munich], Real [Madrid] and Barcelona, we need a player in the top five in the world," Emery told L'Equipe after watching his team win 5-3 on penalties after drawing 1-1 with Roma at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday to open their International Champions Cup (ICC) campaign.
"Since he joined Barcelona, Neymar has progressed a lot. I witnessed this while with Sevilla. Now, he is among the world's top five. The president and the club have been working for the past few years on bringing in the best players.
"The team, but also the fans, would be happy to boast a player in the top five, six or seven in the world on top of the strong players we already have here.
"After that, this quest is not over. Perhaps he will arrive, perhaps not."
PSG have been linked with moves for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Monaco's Kylian Mbappe as well as Neymar, but Emery suggested he has a preference for France international Mbappe because of his nationality.
"Sanchez and Mbappe are fantastic players," Emery said. "Moreover, Mbappe is French. I want French players at a French club."
PSG captain Thiago Silva -- a close friend and international teammate of Neymar -- said he is in the dark about the speculation but would welcome the move.
"I do not know if Neymar is going to come, he has not said anything to me," Silva is reported by L'Equipe as saying. "When you have a project like ours at PSG, it is important to have players like him.
"If he comes, it would be good for the squad."
PSG sporting director Antero Henrique initially travelled with the PSG squad to their ICC base in Miami but has since returned to Europe to deal with urgent transfer matters amid reports of interest in Neymar and Sanchez.