Paris Saint Germain superstar Neymar has admitted he tried to manufacture a return to Barcelona due to being unhappy at Parc des Princes.
As per BBC Sport, Neymar completed a world record €222 million move to PSG from Barca in the summer of 2017, bringing to an end a trophy-laden four-year spell at Camp Nou.
The Brazilian has since managed to score 55 goals in 61 appearances for the French outfit across all competitions, helping the team win five trophies, including two Ligue 1 titles.
However, the 27-year-old’s time at PSG has been largely blighted by injuries and disciplinary issues, amid constant links with a return to Barcelona or a move to Real Madrid.
According to Four Four Two, PSG were willing to sell Neymar if their valuation was met, but a final deal was never agreed and he ended up staying in the French capital for the 2019-20 campaign.
Neymar has now revealed that he did try to rejoin Barca during the summer transfer window, in order to “find happiness” again.
“I understand what they [PSG fans] are feeling. I’m trying to understand this, but I ask them to understand me too,” he told Otro.
“When you’re not happy, whatever work you do, you try to leave, to work elsewhere to change jobs. That’s what I wanted to do. I was trying to find happiness, but in the end, I stayed and, I as I said, I’ll do my best.
“It’s like the situation between a man and a woman; it’s part of the relationship. We fight, then we make peace and the love comes back.”
Upon his return to Thomas Tuchel’s starting line up, Neymar hit four goals in five Ligue 1 outings, before being dealt another setback in the form of a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Brazil last week.
Neymar went on to praise his club colleague Kylian Mbappe, who will likely step in as PSG’s main man while he recovers from his latest knock.
“He’s an incredible kid, he’s joyful, he’s happy,” he added. “Not to mention his football, which is amazing.
“We get along really well both on and off the pitch. I think this makes thing easier, for our game, for our team, because we always help each other, and this is reflected in our team, of course.”
