"There were conversations with his agent" - Deco confirms talks with Neymar and explains why Barcelona move did not happen
Barcelona Sporting Director Deco confirmed that there were conversations with Neymar's agent over a return for the Brazilian to Camp Nou in the summer.
However, the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star eventually decided to join Saudi Pro League (SPL) side Al-Hilal for a reported fee of €90 million. Since moving, he's managed three SPL appearances, bagging three assists in the country's top-tier football league.
The 31-year-old will now have to nurse an ACL injury he picked up in the 2-0 loss to Uruguay while representing Brazil on October 17. With the player set to be out for several months, Al-Hilal will get to see little of the attacker this season.
Before moving to PSG in 2017 for a fee of €222 million, he spent four years at Barcelona, where he completed 186 appearances, bagging 105 goals and 76 assists.
Confirming that the Catalan side attempted to bring back Neymar to Spanish football, Deco told Brazilian publication Marca (via Barca Universal):
"There were conversations with his agent. This was much more with the president, but the truth is that the situation and how it could be done were never presented in a real way."
"Neymar had a very high salary, he had offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia. It was very difficult to get him back in the current scenario. He is a fantastic player.”
Now, Neymar reportedly earns a staggering £129.4 million per year representing the Saudi Arabian side (via Metro).
"The dream of a child"- Neymar expressed love for Barcelona during farewell speech
Although Neymar was unable to return to Barcelona, he admitted to always loving the Catalan club while leaving the Spanish outfit in 2017 for Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.
At the time, the Brazil international claimed that he was looking for new challenges in his footballing career. However, stating that it was his dream to play for club as a child, the former Blaugrana star said (via ESPN):
"Barcelona and Catalonia will always be in my heart, but I need new challenges. I accepted PSG's proposition to try new achievements and help the club to win the titles that their crowd wants. They showed me a daring career plan and I feel ready to take on this challenge."
With the Spanish outfit, he won the La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League trophy once. The Al-Hilal forward was unable to get his hands on the top European club honor with PSG, although he managed to win Ligue 1 five times.