July 15 – Speculation that Neymar may be on his way back to Barcelona from Paris St Germain has been further raised after he posted a video featuring himself in a Barca shirt on social media at the weekend.
Neymar, who joined PSG from Barcelona on a five-year deal for a world-record transfer fee of €222 million in 2017, has been in his native Brazil supporting their victory over Peru in the Copa America final, missing the start of pre-season training with PSG.
A brief Instagram video, showing a black-and-white image of himself in a shirt with the badge of Barcelona and a quote from the Bible, was widely reproduced on news websites, with French newspaper L’Equipe writing: “Everyone will see in this ambiguous message a hidden announcement by the PSG striker of his return to his old club.”
But his public relations company, in a statement carried in Brazil, countered: “After these events he will show up normally on July 15 as PSG had been informed weeks ago.”
Barca want to line Neymar up alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and new signing Antoine Griezmann in a dream forward line.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu earlier this month confirmed reports that Neymar wanted to rejoin but apparently PSG will only allow that if they can arrange a suitable player-plus-cash replacement deal, reports say.
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