Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has addressed rumours linking Neymar with a return to the Nou Camp, revealing no talks have been held.
The 27-year-old left the Catalan giants to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, and has since gone on to score 48 goals in 53 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions.
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Injuries have soured his time in the French capital as he has suffered serious setbacks in each of the two campaigns he’s been with the club now, as he’s currently sidelined with a recurrence of a foot issue that bothered him last year.
Meanwhile, talk of a return to Barcelona has never been far away, with the Mirror noting just before the January transfer window that the Brazilian superstar was eager to go back after such a successful stint at the Nou Camp.
However, Bartomeu has now revealed that he has not held any discussions over a possible transfer, and he certainly doesn’t envisage PSG giving the green light for such a move to happen.
“I have never spoken to them nor has the player or his father called me to return to Barça,” he is quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo. “They have not called. We are preparing for next season and the name of Neymar is not on the table. We are talking about a PSG player and I do not think that PSG want to get rid of a player like him.”
That would suggest that any chance of seeing Neymar back at Barcelona next season can be ruled out, but things do change very quickly in football and time will tell whether or not the Brazilian forward is happy to stay with PSG or will seek a move elsewhere this summer.
For now though, Bartomeu suggests that the transfer speculation hasn’t been accurate, and he is surely right in his statement that the last thing PSG want is to lose their talisman, and so convincing them to sell will undoubtedly be a tough task for any interested party.
