Barcelona president refuses to discuss on the Neymar speculation
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said that he has nothing to update with regards to the club’s position with Neymar. The Brazil international parted ways with the Blaugrana to join Les Parisiens two years ago but reports have recently emerged that he is eager to make a comeback with the Spanish champions.
As such, there has been constant speculation associating the Blaugrana with Neymar and when asked about the same, Bartomeu refused to confirm whether the club would make an approach to re-sign him, he said: “We're presenting Neto. Nothing has changed regarding PSG and Neymar since what I said last Friday. We know Neymar wants to leave PSG, but we also know that PSG don’t want him to leave. We don’t like talking about players from other clubs, just as we don’t like other clubs talking about our players. There’s no Neymar case.”
Meanwhile, when pressed about the potential move for Antoine Griezmann, Bartomeu acknowledged that talks are underway with Atletico Madrid regarding the transfer package, he continued: “I will reveal a secret. Yesterday there was a meeting in Madrid between (Barca director) Oscar Grau and Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin to start talking about that matter.”
Neymar suffered a minor knee injury during the lead-up to the Copa America with Brazil and that meant that he had to skip the tournament. Still, hehad been fancied to make the return to Les Parisiens for pre-season training but that has not been the case so far with the uncertainty surrounding his future with the club.
According to reports, Les Parisiens are expected to hold a meeting with the player next week to find out what his intentions are this summer. Should he demand a move, the Blaugrana may still have to match the £198m fee paid by the French champions to sign the Brazilian two years ago. Otherwise, they could propose a part-exchange deal to reduce the price tag.