Paris Saint-Germain’s forward Neymar was linked with a return to Barcelona for the entire summer, but the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement. Barca’s star Lionel Messi thinks this was because his club didn’t try its best.
In a recent chat with Spain’s Sport, Messi said that he would “like” to have Neymar back and expressed doubt that Barcelona “did all they could.”
“I would have liked for Neymar to have returned,” – said Messi. “Honestly, I’m not sure if Barca did all they could to sign him but I know it is difficult to negotiate with PSG.”
This, however, doesn’t mean Messi isn’t happy with the club’s current squad.
“I am not disappointed. We have a spectacular squad that can challenge for all, even without Ney.” – he added.
Neymar played four seasons with Barcelona, before leaving to PSG in a record-breaking transfer worth $247 million. The Brazilian, however, never managed to settle in France, and wasn’t shy about expressing his intent to leave this summer.
Barcelona was engaged in talks with PSG, but they failed to make a good enough offer to the Ligue 1 powerhouse. Several options were reportedly on the table, including player exchange and loan with an obligation to buy, but PSG didn’t like any of them and decided to hold onto Neymar at least until January.
