Brazilian superstar Neymar is “unlikely” to return to Barcelona this summer. This was confirmed by Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu in a recent chat with RAC 1.
Neymar left Barca in 2017 in order to join Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in a record transfer. However, the 28-year-old striker didn’t manage to get accustomed to life in France and reportedly wanted to get back to Camp Nou last summer.
Aware of Neymar’s wishes, Barca tried to make a move but couldn’t come to an agreement with PSG at the time. Now, the move is completely off according to Bartomeu due to the financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Such an operation is unlikely because the situation of all the clubs in Europe is very difficult,” said Bartomeu.
Despite facing a tough situation, Barca managed to get one big move finished in recent weeks. The Catalan club sold Brazilian midfielder Arthur to Juventus while acquiring Bosnian star playmaker Miralem Pjanic from Seria A powerhouse.
While many perceived this as a move that was motivated by the clubs’ wish to balance their books, Bartomeu claims that the transfers of Arthur and Pjanic had sports reasons behind them.
“Pjanic is a player who has wanted to sign for a long time, he was highly sought after, and there is a Barca player who wants Juve,” he added. “But it is an exceptional situation. It is not to balance balances because we would have sold other players for whom we had offers. Arthur is a player who is highly valued.”
Barcelona currently finds itself in a challenging situation, considering that the club is four points behind archrivals Real Madrid in the La Liga title race. Also, the overall mood around the club isn’t great, with their superstar Lionel Messi reportedly wanting to leave the club.
