Neymar’s agent has reportedly held talks with Barcelona over a sensational return to the club next summer.
Neymar spent four seasons at Barcelona, helping them win the Champions League and two LaLiga titles before he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world record fee worth around £200million.
The 33-year-old recently returned to boyhood club Santos after his deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal was terminated by mutual consent, but he only signed a short-term contract as he looks to get back to his best after a serious ACL injury.
Neymar has made an impressive start at Santos, registering five goal contributions in six league games so far, and a report from Spanish outlet Sport claims that the forward is keen on a return to Barcelona.
The report states that his agent, Pini Zahavi, has made contact with the club to offer Neymar’s services on a free transfer when his deal with Santos is up. However, Barcelona are said to have doubts over the deal.
Barcelona’s financial situation is a major issue, with the club currently unsure if they will have to sell players before they are able to make any new signings. Neymar is not a ‘preferred candidate’ at the moment, but the report notes that the fact he is available on a free transfer and would be prepared to accept a ‘reasonable’ wage mean the move is possible.
However, Santos’ president Marcelo Teixeira recently said he was confident that Neymar would remain in Brazil until the 2026 World Cup. “With Neymar’s arrival, we have 75,000 members,” Teixeira told ESPN.
“Today, we can measure what is related to the technical aspect, what represents the financial aspect. All financial objectives will be increased, above what we previously estimated. If everything goes well, the tendency is for this partnership to continue and be expanded until next year’s World Cup.”
Neymar’s return to Santos has been an emotional one, with the winger stating after his first match back earlier this month: “I love Santos. I have no words to describe what I felt tonight when I stepped again on this pitch.
“I need minutes, games. I’m not at 100%. I didn’t expect to run and dribble so much tonight. I think I’ll feel better in four or five games.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports deal
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.