Reports: Neymar interested in returning to Barcelona and could force Paris Saint-Germain exit
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar remains interested in a return to Barcelona, and could potentially force an exit in order to make the move, according to AS.
Neymar enjoyed a successful stint with Barcelona but has not enjoyed the best of relations with the club since departing for Paris Saint-Germain.
Neymar to replace Lionel Messi at Barcelona?
Barcelona are not in the best of positions financially, but January's presidential elections could change the club's policy on signings. Neymar has persistently been linked with a return to Barcelona ever since he moved to France, with many outlets claiming that the Brazil international regretted leaving the club.
The attacker's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in 2022. It remains to be seen whether the Parisiens can offer a contract attractive enough to keep Neymar at the club. If not, it makes sense to sell him so that they can recoup some of the world-record €222 million they paid for him.
It has also been suggested that Barcelona view Neymar as the potential successor to Lionel Messi, if the Argentine decides to leave the club. The Barcelona captain had admitted that he wanted to leave the club in the summer, but a transfer failed to come to fruition.
With just a year left on his current deal, Messi can start talking to other clubs in January 2021 and can depart Barcelona next summer as a free transfer.
Keeping this in mind, the Catalan club potentially view Neymar as the heir apparent to Messi's throne. Despite the emergence of Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar continues to attract Barcelona's interest.
The former Santos forward departed the Camp Nou outfit in 2017 and the club is yet to replace him despite spending extravagant amounts of money on players. Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho were all expensive buys who have failed to deliver.
This summer, the club were extremely restrained as far as transfers were concerned due to financial instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus was placed on selling players, with long-serving players like Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic joining Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo and Nelson Semedo in leaving the club.
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