Former Barcelona vice-president Emili Rousaud – who resigned from his position last week – has confirmed the club are trying to negotiate a return for Neymar.
In a messy situation at the hierarchy of the club, Barcelona are seeking legal action against Rousaud after he claimed that individuals involved were seeking to use the club for personal profit.
“A return for Neymar is possible,” Rousaud told L’Equipe, via Diario Sport. “The coronavirus is going to cause a deflation of the market and most of the clubs are going to have financial difficulties.
“Barcelona wish in effect to guarantee the return of Neymar. It will be necessary to analyse if this operation fits within the finances of the club but the interest is real, even if it is complex.
“There are three parties involved: Barcelona, PSG and the player. IF all three seek an agreement, they will find the solution: A fractional payment, for example. Everything will depend on the good will of each one and, especially, on Neymar’s demands.”
It follows a report in El Mundo Deportivo, with the front page of the newspaper at the start of the month saying that Lautaro is a ‘priority’ signing while Neymar is seen as ‘strategic’.
The reason for the difference is an economic one – Barcelona could more than treble Lautaro’s current €2m per annum salary at Inter, while Neymar’s wage in Paris is said to be around €36m.
A report in Diario Sport last month claimed that Neymar ‘is being held against his will’ by Paris Saint Germain’s Qatari ownership, who are insistent on not selling the star attacker, in spite of the player’s wishes of returning to the Camp Nou.
Neymar is said to be in love with the idea of returning to the Catalan giants this summer and is said to be prepared for another tense summer of a standoff between the clubs with a transfer saga likely.
It is also a key factor that the former Santos star has a close personal friendship with his former Blaugrana teammates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, with whom he is keen to play alongside once more.
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.
Neymar has been derailed in the French capital by injuries – he has been involved in just 52 of a possible 103 Ligue 1 matches since his switch in the summer of 2017, in which he has netted 47 goals.
