Barcelona respond to rumours Neymar could return from PSG

Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2018 by squawka.com

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has dismissed reports Neymar could return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain.

Neymar, 26, joined the Parisians from Barca in 2017 for a world-record £198m fee, and he has since gone on to play 41 times for the club across all competitions, scoring 39 goals.

Despite flourishing in the French capital, the Brazilian talisman has been consistently linked with a move back to La Liga, with reports suggesting he is in the crosshairs of both his former club and Real Madrid.

However, Bartomeu has poured cold water on any suggestions of a rekindling between the Catalan club and Neymar, insisting Barca have no plans to recruit during the winter transfer window.

"Neymar? He left and there are no plans to bring him back,” he told Catalunya Radio (via Goal).

"We don’t plan to sign anyone in January, unless the coaches ask for someone before then. It’s a smaller squad because we have B team players who can make the first team.”

Neymar has made an emphatic start to the season, scoring 11 goals in 11 matches, across Ligue 1, the Champions League, the Coupe de France and the Trophee des Champions.

Thomas Tuchel’s side will next be on display against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Neymar at Barca
Neymar enjoyed a trophy-laden career at the Camp Nou, incredibly winning eight pieces of silverware during the four seasons he wreaked havoc in La Liga.

The Brazilian star joined the club from Santos in 2013 after years of intense speculation linking the marvel to Europe’s perennial heavyweights.

He eventually joined the Blaugrana and went on to form one of the continent’s most ferocious attacking tridents alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

For the club he netted 105 goals and registered 77 assists in 186 matches across all competitions, famously clinching a Champions League medal in 2015, as he scored in the final against Juventus and finished joint-top scorer in the competition that season.