Barcelona will renew their attempts to sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain this summer at the behest of Lionel Messi, say El Confidencial.
The media outlet reports that the Blaugrana are desperate to keep Messi happy at the club and believe signing the Brazilian would pacify his needs.
Messi has a clause in his contract which would allow him to walk out of the Camp Nou on a free transfer should he so desire at the end of any given season.
They are therefore desperate to avoid such a scenario and they believe that tempting his former club teammate Neymar to return would ensure Messi stays.
The former Santos forward left the Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a world record €222m fee, but reports continue to suggest he may be open to a departure from the Parisians.
Neymar has continually been linked with a return to Spain since his departure with the Catalan giants and Real Madrid said to be keen on a future transfer.
However, despite a prolonged saga of multiple reports claiming that the clubs were in negotiations and a deal was on the verge of completion, no move ever materialised.
“From the emotional point of view for how he left, I would not sign him,” former Barca vice-president Jordi Mestre told El Mundo Deportivo earlier this week, his first interview since leaving the Camp Nou seven months ago.
“From a sporting point of view, I would sign him. In my opinion, he provides a skillset that very few players have, it is the one-on-one talent and he scores lots of goal.
“Something we need in many games where the opponent is locked back. Yes, I would sign him if, of course we could afford it. For a securities issue? If we want to fool ourselves, go ahead, in the end we are so used to winning titles that we talk about values, which is also very good, of course.
“But in the end what interests are the results. If we value above all values, then let’s dedicate ourselves to rugby, which valuesfar exceed football. If we didn’t win anything, we would sign Neymar and whoever was needed.”
Neymar has been derailed in the French capital by injuries – he has been involved in just 51 of a possible 100 Ligue 1 matches since his switch in the summer of 2017, in which he has netted 47 goals.
