A return of Neymar at Barcelona it is not contemplated. He categorically ruled it out Deco at the end of the match against Benfica: the Blaugrana sporting director praised the talent of the attacker, but underlined that his financial demands were too high: “Neymar’s return to Barça has always been a distant possibility”, he recalled. “Since his departure for Saudi Arabia (in 2023, ed.), we have understood that he is a player with high financial demands, especially regarding the rules of fair play. When he is fit, Neymar is one of the best players in the world. It still is and always will be. Even if a deal can never be completely ruled out, at the moment I see it more in Brazil.”
The Portuguese is referring to the announced return of the former PSG player to Santos, where he grew up and made his professional debut: “The most important thing is that Neymar returns to play football. It will bring joy to him and to those around him I honestly don’t know what he will decide, but his happiness is the most important thing.”
Neymar played four years at Barça (2013-2017), winning eight titles including the Champions League in 2015. He left the club in 2017 to join PSG for 222 million euros. “At PSG I had a better contract but there was also the question of the Brazilians. I wanted to play with Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Marquinhos and Lucas Moura. They were all my friends and there were no more Brazilians in Barcelona. I tried my luck, but not with the idea of being the best in the world.”