Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly personally phoned Neymar in a bid to convince him to return to the Nou Camp over a switch to Real Madrid.
As noted by the Express, the Brazilian international has been linked with a return to Spain, with both La Liga giants paired with an interest in prising him away from Paris Saint-Germain.
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Time will tell where the 27-year-old ends up, although it’s now claimed that Messi is doing his part to try and convince his former teammate to snub a move to their bitter rivals and instead seal a second stint with him at Barcelona.
Neymar enjoyed a stunning spell with the Catalan giants previously, scoring 105 goals and providing 76 assists in just 186 appearances as he helped them win a whole host of trophies in a deadly attacking trident alongside Luis Suarez and Messi.
In order to rekindle that magic and to also deny Real Madrid the chance to land one of the top players in the world, Marca report that Messi has personally called Neymar to try and convince him against a move to the capital and instead return to Barcelona.
Time will tell if it’s enough to convince Neymar as it’s stressed that the pair have a strong friendship, and so it could be key factor in swaying him one way.
Nevertheless, it’s about making the right decision for himself, as playing alongside either Messi or Eden Hazard will surely result in competing for major trophies anyway coupled with the quality in the rest of the respective squads.
As suggested in the report from Marca though, perhaps the biggest obstacle in negotiations for Barcelona isn’t convincing Neymar of a return, but instead getting the green light from PSG to allow him to return to his former club.
