“Neymar? You are surprising me. He is not in our transfer plans,” coach Xavi Hernandez said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
Neymar’s return to Barcelona was suddenly mentioned after Lionel Messi decided to join Inter Miami. Many sources said that the Brazilian striker actively contacted the old team to express his intentions. But as shared by coach Xavi, the Catalan team never intended to make this deal.
There are many reasons why the Blaugrana is not interested in reuniting with Neymar. Firstly, Neymar is not Messi, the best player in the world and revered as a saint at Spotify Camp Nou. The relationship of the player born in 1992 with Barcelona has also deteriorated since her husband of 222 million euros came to the negotiating table to break the contract and freely move to PSG. Neymar does not love Barca with all his heart, so there is no reason for President Joan Laporta to try to free him from the dark days in the French capital.
Secondly, Neymar is often injured and has dropped a lot. His years at PSG showed that he was not the type of player who could pull the team to glory alone. Moreover, if he returns to Barca, Neymar will continue to play in the position of a winger. But in the hands of coach Xavi, there are many younger players who play well in this position such as Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Gavi. Therefore, recruiting Neymar is not necessary.
Third, to “rescue” Neymar, Barcelona must face strict financial regulations of the LaLiga Organizing Committee. The Blaugrana cannot guarantee that the former Santos player will be registered. Things are even more complicated with Neymar than with Messi, because the contract between the Brazilian striker and PSG lasts until June 2027. This means that Barcelona will have to spend a lot of money to convince the partner to let go.
Finally, the Barcelona leadership is placing a priority on finding a replacement for Sergio Busquets. Martin Zubimendi, Sofyan Amrabat and Joshua Kimmich are the targets targeted by the Spotify Camp Nou team. In addition, they also want a mobile midfielder like Ilkay Gundogan. A busy summer awaits Barcelona and they don’t want to be busy anymore.
Although the transfer market is always full of surprises, the probability that Neymar will not return to Barcelona is 99%. If forced to leave PSG, the 31-year-old striker should think more openly, like switching to playing in the Premier League, where Manchester United and Chelsea are very enthusiastic.
