Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has revealed that Neymar is not close to parting ways with Les Parisiens despite the strong interest from Barcelona in re-signing him. The Brazil international has not featured for Les Parisiens since the return for pre-season training but Leonardo has indicated that has nothing to do with the stance regarding his future.
Paris Saint-Germain Edinson Cavani has said that he is hopeful that Neymar remains with the club amid the speculation linking him with a return to Barcelona. The Brazilian has not featured for Les Parisiens since returning to pre-season and this has generated doubts whether he will stay at Parc des Princes beyond the summer.
Speaking to Le Parisien, Cavani spoke about the importance of Neymar to the French champions, he told: “I hope that everything that has happened to him will give him the experience to grow as an individual. I think he still has a lot to give PSG, until the last day he is here as a player. He has a lot to give to football as well.”
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has revealed that Neymar is not close to parting ways with Les Parisiens despite the strong interest from Barcelona in re-signing him. The Brazil international has not featured for Les Parisiens since the return for pre-season training but Leonardo has indicated that has nothing to do with the stance regarding his future.
Speaking to RMC Sport, Leonardo admitted that there have been negotiations with the Blaugrana for the attacker but there is nothing concrete regarding the approach. He added that he has another three years remaining on his contract with the French champions and the recent absence of the Brazilian has been due to the recovery timeline for the metatarsal injury.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said that he has nothing to update with regards to the club’s position with Neymar. The Brazil international parted ways with the Blaugrana to join Les Parisiens two years ago but reports have recently emerged that he is eager to make a comeback with the Spanish champions.
As such, there has been constant speculation associating the Blaugrana with Neymar and when asked about the same, Bartomeu refused to confirm whether the club would make an approach to re-sign him, he said: “We're presenting Neto. Nothing has changed regarding PSG and Neymar since what I said last Friday. We know Neymar wants to leave PSG, but we also know that PSG don’t want him to leave. We don’t like talking about players from other clubs, just as we don’t like other clubs talking about our players. There’s no Neymar case.”
Former Barcelona star Rivaldo has said that he would prefer Neymar making the comeback to Barcelona, though he may need to change the attitude on the playing field. The Brazil international left the Catalan giants to join Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record move two years ago, but there have been several occasions thereafter where he has been linked with a Camp Nou return.
The same has remained the case for this summer’s transfer window with Neymar said to hold an interest in returning to the Blaugrana and Rivaldo approves the move, provided his compatriot can change his recent attitude, he told Marca: “I would love for him to return [to Barcelona] and it would be very good for the team and for him. I hope he goes back, changes his mentality and starts playing football. If he returns, Barcelona will have a chance to win the Champions League and he will have a chance to become the best in the world.”
Brazil international Neymar is reportedly keen on the prospect of reuniting with Philippe Coutinho at Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Coutinho only joined Barcelona from Liverpool during the winter of 2018 but his future has been put under doubt with the Spanish champions fancied to secure the services of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Coutinho may have to pursue a fresh challenge away from the Camp Nou as the potential signing of Griezmann would hamper his gametime at the club. The publication adds that the midfielder is not particularly keen on a return to the Premier League and that could setup a move to Paris Saint-Germain with Neymar keen on a reunion.
Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho has sparked speculation regarding his future after admitting that he would like to play alongside compatriot Neymar at the club level. The duo remain good friends from their days in the Brazilian youth setup but they have, however, not shared the playing field together outside of the international stage.
Speaking to DAZN, Coutinho said that he has always enjoyed playing alongside Neymar at the national setup and he remains hopeful of reunion at the club level in the future, he said: “It's always a pleasure to play with him, it's a crack. We played a lot of time in Brazilian youth teams, [Neymar] became a special player. Playing at his side is always a pleasure, even though I haven't had any luck at the club level yet. It would be nice to play with him in a club.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has said that Neymar won’t be rushed to first-team action following his return to training after a metatarsal injury. The Brazil international has been out of action with the problem for the past 10 weeks and during his period, Les Parisiens have suffered the major blow of being ousted from the Champions League.
Still, they remain in command of the league title with a comfortable 20-point lead at the top with 10 games to play and Tuchel believes that there is no need to rush Neymar’s return to the playing field, he said: “Neymar is feeling good, no pain. But it's too soon to talk about having him back on the pitch. We have to be patient.”
Brazil international Casemiro has hailed the qualities of compatriot Neymar by suggesting that he is currently one of the top three in the world and has the credentials to become the best in the future. The Paris Saint-Germain ace has sustained successive metatarsal injuries in the past two seasons and this has somewhat taken him out of the radar in the race for the Ballon d’Or.
Despite this, Casemiro has continued to heap praise on the former Barcelona attacker saying: "We started talking about Neymar here. Let's spend the whole afternoon talking about him. "For me, Neymar's in the top three and has everything to be the best in the world." Meanwhile, Casemiro added to speak on the potential of Vinicius, who has quickly turned into a fan favourite among Los Blancos faithful, he further told: "In the last two months Vinicius played at a high level, at a level of one of the best in the world. What he's producing at Real was not normal, for someone who's 18 years old. Being bold in the shirt of Real Madrid is not easy."
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has played down the club’s chances of signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. The Brazil international is currently in his second season with the French champions but there have been various reports suggesting that he is unsettled with the proceedings at the club.
Amidst this, he has been touted for a probable reunion with the Blaugrana in the summer and Bartomeu has pretty much ruled out the prospect, he told RKB: “I've spoken with Neymar, we've seen each other a few times, but his people have never told me he wants to come back. No one's called us about it. Neymar has a contract with PSG. It's his second season there and it's very difficult [to imagine] they want to sell. We didn't want to. We have the disadvantage of the [release] clause here. European clubs [can] take advantage of that. That's not the case [in France] so it's not possible for him to return.”