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Barcelona chief admits Neymar transfer could happen despite bitter departure
NEYMAR could return to Barcelona despite offending the club when he left in 2017.
That is according to Barcelona general manager Pep Segura.
Neymar left the Catalan club in August 2017, joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record £200million fee.
Last season was successful for Neymar amid some injury troubles, with the Brazilian scoring 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions.
PSG won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue but the campaign was marred by a 5-2 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in the Last 16 of the Champions League.
If one day there is a possibility, does anyone believe that a club like Barça does not have to consider it?
Neymar’s departure did not see to affect Barcelona too much last term, as they won La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
The riches Barcelona garnered from Neymar’s transfer were spent on Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
The former has struggled to adapt to life in Catalonia, but Segura ensured that the £135m investment would come good.
Regarding talk that Dembele is not happy at Barcelona, Segura told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia: “It is not that he is not happy, it is that he has the doubts of a young player.
“Dembele has always played from the perspective of his talent, which is immense, and now he has to put it at the service of the team.
“I can say that both the club and the player are convinced 100 per cent that we will achieve it.”
Keeping the 21-year-old winger would suggest that Neymar could not return to the club, but Segura refused to rule out such a U-turn.
“In the professional field all players who are in the market are likely to come if they fit our needs,” the Barcelona general manager said.
“Today, Neymar is not in the market. If one day there is a possibility, does anyone believe that a club like Barça does not have to consider it?
“In the case of Neymar and anyone. We must give our partners the best.”
Segura, who deals with transfer matters, continued to explain that Neymar’s departure caused some vitriol among remaining staff.
“We must not forget the affront that Neymar made to us all as a club,” he continued.
“But if we believe that, despite this, it must be him - it will be him. And finally, it is important that the economic part fits.”