Neymar’s Father Denies Contacting Barca Over Return

Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar looks on during the French Cup round of 32 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Strasbourg (RCS) at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris / AFP

Neymar’s father reiterated on Sunday that there has been no attempt to contact Barcelona over a possible return to Spain for the world’s most expensive player.

Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain for a world record fee of 222 million euros ($251 million) in August 2017 but has repeatedly been linked with a move back to Barcelona.

“Barca are a huge club, we were very happy over there,” Neymar Sr told TF1 on Sunday. “It’s impossible to leave a player like him out of these (transfer market) rumours. But it’s a lie, there hasn’t been a call with Barca.”

“There are two people who speak for Neymar: himself and me. Neither of us has spoken about this intention to return to Barcelona,” he added.

“These rumours amuse us a lot. These journalists are funny. The future is in Paris, the present is in Paris.”

Neymar Sr took to social media last month to brand a report in Spain which claimed he had begged Barca to re-sign his son from PSG as “fake news”.

The Brazilian forward is currently on the sidelines after he was ruled out for 10 weeks with a metatarsal injury suffered in a French Cup win over Strasbourg on January 23.

PSG hope the 27-year-old, who suffered a fracture to the same right foot at the end of February last year, will be back in time for a potential Champions League quarter-final.

The French club hold a 2-0 lead over Manchester United ahead of the return leg at the Parc des Princes in their last-16 tie.

Neymar Sr also called on referees in France to offer his son more protection.

“It’s not the French league that is the problem, it’s the referees who must protect the players,” he said.

“If fouls aren’t whistled if unsporting behaviour goes unpunished… that’s the problem.”