Neymar’s tears over Barcelona transfer as PSG star ‘considers Lionel Messi reunion’
Neymar: Pundits on whether PSG move was the right decision
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Neymar is being linked with a move to Barcelona again. The PSG star was unable to fire his side to victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night, with Pep Guardiola’s side now expected to be involved in the Champions League final. And the Samba star has long pined for a Nou Camp return.
Neymar sparkled in the first half as PSG took the lead against City though Marquinhos.
But the Ligue 1 giants then struggled after the interval, with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez turning things around.
In the aftermath, Neymar has been tipped to leave PSG behind.
Sport today claimed the forward is contemplating whether to leave the Parc des Princes for ‘sporting reasons’ and has his sights set on a reunion with Messi.
The duo were close off the field during their time at Barcelona together.
And they were irresistible on the field of play, helping the Catalan titans win the treble under Luis Enrique in 2015.
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So, with Neymar potentially returning to Barcelona, it’s time to hop in a time machine and travel back to two years ago.
At the time, the Brazilian was hopeful of making the move back to the Nou Camp – despite the bitter manner of his departure in 2017.
Messi was lobbying Barcelona chiefs into re-signing Neymar but, in the end, it didn’t happen.
Barcelona decided to fork out on Antoine Griezmann instead, with the France international arriving from fellow La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
And El Chiringuito, at the time, claimed Neymar had burst into tears when he found out his hopes of returning to Catalonia were dead in the water.
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Neymar felt remorseful over his exit but Barcelona, in the end, couldn’t stump up the cash required to make a deal happen.
And the Samba star has been stuck at PSG ever since, though the Ligue 1 giants remain hopeful of tying him down to a new contract.
Speaking before the City game, Neymar claimed he was happy at the club and that a new contract was close to being sorted.
“We are in talks with PSG. There is nothing pressing,” he said.
“Everything is nearly sorted. I feel at ease. I feel truly very happy here at PSG.
“Concerning the fans, that is what I can’t wait for the most, for them to be back in the stadium.
“I hope that they support all the players, that they will be there to encourage us.”
Yet, now, it seems as though Neymar has had a change of heart.
He reportedly feels he stands a better chance of winning the Champions League with Barcelona than he does at PSG.
And whether he’s granted his wish of a return, especially with the La Liga giants’ financial situation rocky because of the coronavirus crisis, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, PSG boss Pochettino rued a game of ‘two different halves’ following last night’s loss.
“They were two different halves. The first half, we did well,” said the former Tottenham manager.
“It’s difficult to eliminate a team like Manchester City, but we created chances and I think we deserved to go into the dressing room with an advantage.
“But second half, they were better than us and they dominated and two accidents, two goals. In the second half, they dominated and they created more than us. It was one half for each.”
On the second leg, he added: “In football, you need to believe and go there in six days and try to approach the game like today, try to win, to score goals.
“Of course, the advantage is a little bit with Manchester City, but in football always you need to try.”
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