La Liga Rumours: Neymar rejects Real Madrid move but says ‘yes’ to possible Barcelona return
What is the story?
According to the Catalan daily SPORT, Neymar has rejected a move to Real Madrid but has said 'yes' to a possible return to Barcelona.
It was previously reported that Neymar might be willing to make a return to the Camp Nou if Paris Saint-Germain let him leave.
In case you didn’t know….
Neymar sent shockwaves throughout the world when he left Barcelona for PSG in the summer of 2017 after spending four successful seasons with the Catalan giants. PSG activated the €222 million release clause of the Brazilian star, who upset the Blaugrana faithful by leaving.
During his time at the Camp Nou, Neymar won two La Liga titles, one Champions League and three Copa Del Rey trophies amongst other honours. Since his move to PSG almost two years ago, the 27-year-old has struggled to make his mark on the European front.
He has suffered major injuries at crucial junctures in the past two campaigns and was ruled out of the upcoming Copa America after picking up an ankle injury in Brazil's last match.
Despite enjoying domestic success, PSG have not delivered in the Champions League and Neymar has failed to makeit to the Ballon d'Or podium for the past two years.
The heart of the matter
Neymar's departure left a huge void which Barcelona have been unable to fill, despite splashing the cash on Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.
According to the report, Neymar has already rejected a chance to join Real Madrid, but he is open to returning to Barcelona. Los Blancos' poor 2018-19 campaign, which saw them fail miserably in La Liga and in cup competitions, made Neymar's stance more clear.
It remains an open secret that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has been interested in securing the services of Neymar for some time now. But after the recent snub, it seems Real Madrid will look elsewhere to strengthen their squad.
What’s next?
It is highly unlikely that PSG will let Neymar go this summer, but it remains to be seen how the story develops.