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Neymar has been regularly linked with a return to Barcelona since leaving the Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and it seems this summer will be no different.
The Brazilian is out of contract with the French club next year but has told the Catalan giants he’s “eager to return” because he knows if he renews with PSG it will be “impossible” to come back to his former home, according to Catalunya Radio.
The report adds that the Barcelona doors to a Neymar return “are not closed” despite his acriminious exit in 2017. The club knows the dressing room would love to have the Brazilian back and think he would available for around €70-80m as he is heading into the final year of his contract.
Barcelona are also not ruling out including a player in the deal and feel it would be easier to sign Neymar this summer than top target Erling Haaland. The Borussia Dortmund star’s signing is seen as “complicated” because of his huge price tag and Barca’s financial difficulties.
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PSG Tipped to Sell Neymar
Neymar’s future remains the subject of intense speculation currently with conflicting reports flying about. The Brazilian is said to have frozen talks over a contract renewal with PSG in the hope of returning to Barcelona, according to Diario Sport.
Yet transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that Neymar is expected to sign a contract renewal with PSG that will run until 2026 soon. The new deal will include a large Champions League bonus.
Neymar has given very little away about his future but has admitted previously his dream is to play with Lionel Messi again before he hangs up his boots. At the time it was assumed it was more likely the duo would play together at PSG than Barcelona if they were reunited but much has changed since then.
Former Barca scout Andre Cury has told Diario Sport that he thinks PSG would sell the Brazil international if he declines the offer of a new contract at the Parc des Princes this summer.
“I think so. Any club in the world with a player not willing to renew has to sell,” he said. “And if they were willing in 2019, why not now? He had three years on his deal then, now only one, so the numbers are different.”
Can Barcelona Afford Neymar?
Barcelona may still find it difficult to afford Neymar, due to the club’s enormous debts, but Cury has explained how new president Joan Laporta may be able to make such a transfer work.
“What I would do is divide the cost over five years. Then each year you look for €Xm to cover the costs. In sponsors, commercial deals, shirts sales, tickets…” he explained. “Since Neymar left, shirt sales fell almost 30 percent, tickets 20 percent. Without the pandemic and with Neymar, you have 20,000 more people in the stadium for every game.”
It’s no surprise to see Neymar once again linked with a Barcelona return and speculation about the 29-year-old is likely to continue until he does put pen to paper on a new deal with PSG. Of course, if the forward does fail to extend his contract he may leave PSG with no choice but to look for a buyer to avoid losing him for free next summer.
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