Updated May 20th, 2020 at 13:12 IST

Neymar will not return to Barcelona this summer, claims PSG superstar's agent

Defending LaLiga champions Barcelona have reportedly made Neymar Jr their top priority as Lionel Messi also wants his former teammate back at the club.

Reported by: Abhishek Shetty
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The Neymar transfer saga has been going on for quite some time now, with constant rumours of the Brazilian being on the verge of securing a blockbuster move back to Camp Nou. However, the Neymar transfer saga was given more to chew on this week when Neymar's agent Wagner Ribeiro went on record and claimed that the Brazilian star is going to stay at PSG as he believes that the economic ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic will not allow Barcelona to sign him in the summer transfer window. The 28-year-old joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world-record fee of a reported €222 million. Since then, there has been speculation that Barcelona have been trying to bring the player back to Camp Nou. Neymar received a lot of stick from PSG supporters for reportedly trying to force his way out of the club in the previous transfer window. 

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Neymar Barcelona return unlikely in the summer window

Barcelona have reportedly made Neymar their top priority as Lionel Messi also wants his former teammate back at the club. Barcelona started drawing up plans to bring the Brazilian back by offloading the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in order to collect funds for the big-money transfer. However, the havoc caused by the coronavirus pandemic has paralysed the economic structure European clubs as clubs face huge losses in paying salaries while losing out on matchday revenue. 

Neymar's agent believes that Barcelona will not be able to afford PSG's asking price for the Brazilian this summer. Wagner Ribeiro, in an interview with The Sun, said, “I think Neymar will stay at PSG because the market is difficult The economic world of football will change.” Neymar contract at PSG runs all the way to June 2022. However, at 28, Neymar still has a number of goalscoring years to his name, but Lionel Messi reportedly wants the Neymar transfer to go through as the club will likely have to rebuild in the next few windows with the likes of Luis Suarez on the wrong side of 30.

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Neymar Barcelona and PSG stats

Neymar has netted a total of 69 goals in 80 games for PSG in the span of three seasons. Neymar has won three back-to-back Ligue 1 trophies with French giants. However, the Brazilian superstar has failed to conquer Europe despite playing in a star-studded PSG side. During his Barcelona days, Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 games. Neymar won two LaLiga trophies, three Copa del Reys and a Champions League trophy.

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Published May 20th, 2020 at 13:12 IST