Was Neymar close to rejoining La Liga with FC Barcelona before signing mega deal with Al Hilal?

Brazilian star Neymar Jr. joined Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal for a mega deal worth 90 million euros in a two-year deal. Neymar turned to Saudi after ending his six-year stint at the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain. Neymar is now the second big face who turned to Saudi after Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. 

3 things you need to know 

• Neymar Jr. played a total of 112 matches for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germaine 
• Before joining PSG, Neymar played for the La Liga club FC Barcelona
• Neymar recently featured for Brazil in the FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Paraguay 

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Did Neymar want to return to Barcelona after ending his stint with PSG? 

Neymar ended his journey with Paris Saint Germain after the new club manager Luis Enrique informed him that he and Marco Verrati were not in the team's plan for the the upcoming season. Neymar completed his transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal on August 15, 2023. However, in the middle of the transfer, there were also reports that Neymar wanted to go back to Barcelona after ending his journey with PSG. But there was no credible information about the matter. 

Former Barcelona player and Football agent Deco was asked about the same to which he said while speaking to ‘Lance’: 

There were conversations with his manager. This was much more with the president, but the truth is that the situation was never presented in a real way and how it could be done. We have the issue of Financial Fair Play that dictates a lot, but Neymar's situation was never concretely stated. The numbers... we know Neymar had a very high salary, he had offers from clubs in Saudi. It was very difficult to get Neymar back in the current scenario. He is a fantastic player. Obviously he would fit into Barcelona, but there was never a real possibility, apart from the desire he had to return from Barcelona.

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Neymar ruled out of Football for the next few months

Neymar Jr and injuries have a very strong history and they keep occurring to the Brazilian football star. The striker recently sustained an ACL injury during Brazil FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay and now has been ruled out of action for the next six to eight months. He would miss out on the upcoming Qualifiers clashes and AFC Champions league as well.